According to historical records, pepper first appeared in 7000 BC and was one of the earliest crops planted by human beings. The Maya, as we are familiar with, began to eat chilies in 5000 BC, and chilies were really introduced to China in the late Ming Dynasty. According to "Eight Stories of Respect for Life"? Pepper, tufted ash, bald head, spicy red, very impressive, divided into species? . In this old saying? Pepper? It refers to pepper, which is also the first detailed record of pepper in China. Maybe the ancients felt it after eating Chili? Is it spicy? Taste, so it is called? Pepper? .

Previously, a large number of netizens' health articles suggested that peppers appeared in Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Febrile Diseases. In fact, this is completely nonsense. Perhaps it can be understood that in Zhang Zhongjing's formula, there is no pepper, only plants with the same effect as pepper.

When pepper was first introduced into China, it was once an ornamental plant because of its peculiar appearance. Later, pepper became medicine and food. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that people gradually developed the habit of eating peppers, such as Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and other provinces, which were almost addicted to peppers. It is acceptable to eat without salt, but absolutely not without pepper.

Over time, pepper has become one of the important materials in Sichuan cuisine. According to the investigation of Chengdu, there were 1328 kinds of dishes in Chengdu at that time, all of which could not be separated from peppers, and even a few peppers were put in bone soup. Today, the biggest feature of Sichuan and Hunan cuisine is spicy.

Some people may ask, before Chili was introduced to China, what should Sichuanese and Hunan people do if they wanted to eat spicy food? In fact, our ancestors had a strong taste, which was mentioned in Qu Yuan's evocation. Ups and downs? . Cornus officinalis, ginger, garlic, mustard, pepper and other heavy spices are the favorite of the ancients, especially pepper. As we all know, what are the characteristics of Sichuan cuisine? Is it spicy? Besides pepper, pepper is the most important formula.

As early as the pre-Qin period, there were records about peppers. Gu Erdan died, the more sour. Look at me like a horse and let me hold the pepper. ? And pepper, as the ancients called it? Real money? , enough to see its value.

When Yuan Tsai, the most wonderful corrupt official, was robbed, the officers and men dug up 800 stone peppers. If the boss can't pay the salary, he can also use pepper instead of salary, and the wage earners are happy to accept it.

Nowadays, pepper is no longer as valuable as before. Every time I have a barbecue, the chef will sprinkle pepper on it. If the ancients saw this, I'm afraid they would faint.

Therefore, before Chili, Sichuanese can have many substitutes if they want to eat spicy food. Over time, the love of spicy food has become the symbolic feature of Sichuan.