Culinary experts in China’s spice capital, Sichuan province, are finalizing a scientific index to measure the spiciness of the hot pot of the same name.
China made this move after a food-loving internet user shared the idea on social media. On May 11, this idea was published by the official news agency of the Sichuan provincial government, Sichuan Fabu, and received many responses. The news agency added that the Sichuan Provincial Hot Pot Association has already begun to realize the idea.
Sichuan hot pot is a famous type of hot pot of China, often interested by tourists. (Photo: thefooddictator).
Yan Long, CEO of the association, said the index will interpret and convert the spiciness to an exact number, instead of the current general description of “mild, medium, spicy and spicy” super spicy” , making it easier for diners to make a choice that suits their taste.
Although China boasts many hot pot dishes, the Sichuan variant is the most popular nationwide. According to a report on the hot pot industry published by the China Food and Beverage Research Institute, the number of Sichuan hot pot restaurants ranked first in all of China, accounting for 12.4% of the total, or 395,000 restaurants, in end of 2021. Not only in China, this dish also attracts worldwide attention.
Sichuan cuisine is also served in a third of the roughly 600,000 Chinese restaurants, generating a total value of billion, according to the World Sichuan Food Conference, held in Chengdu in 2018. .
James McDougall, Program Director of Humanities and Social Sciences at Sichuan University – Pittsburgh Institute, argues that the globalization of Sichuan cuisine restaurants since the 2000s is the result of China finding how to increase soft power abroad. Szechuan food is known for its variety of spicy flavors, from pungent to spicy, created with a variety of chili peppers and signature ingredients.
The spiciness of Sichuan dishes is created from a variety of chili peppers and signature spices. (Image: Shutterstock).
It is widely believed that the Sichuan people developed the habit of eating spicy food during the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) to combat the region’s characteristic wet weather. Szechuan hot pot also originated as “poor man’s food”, created by dock workers by the Yangtze River to eat faster and cheaper.
Some industry insiders explain that this spicy flavor became popular nationwide because Sichuan cuisine costs less and takes less time to cook and serve compared to other famous Chinese dishes.
Also, because the spicy sensation from chili peppers is in fact a sensation of pain instead of taste, consuming spicy foods releases endorphins and dopamine, chemicals that make people feel better.
However, not all domestic and international tourists are comfortable with the spicy taste. Upon learning that the Sichuan Provincial Hot Pot Association was about to set a spiciness index, one person commented online: “Thank you. I just like very, very, very mild spicy.” Currently, the “slightly spicy” description commonly found in Sichuan is also spicier than in other parts of China.
Others argue that a common standard cannot be established . “Different people have different perceptions of spiciness. It is difficult to cater to all tastes,” commented one social media account.