Sichuan mala

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Sìchu­ān málà (Traditional and Simplified Chinese: 四川麻辣) is a very popular Chinese spicy sauce, made of Chinese pepper, sesame oil, butter, herbs and different spices, which originated in the Sichuan Province of central China. It is generally served with food in soup or hot pot. It has become one of the most common spices in Chinese cuisine, gaining its popularity apparently anywhere in China. The term málà is a combination of two Chinese characters: “anæsthetization” and “hot (spicy)”, referring to the feeling after having the sauce.

[edit] History

The clear history of mala sauce is still unknown, but it is widely believed that people in Sichuan province, one of the poorest provinces in Chinese history, invented strong-tasting mala sauce to cover up rotten meats. Mala has quickly become the main characteristic of Sichan cuisine and has an important role in Chinese cuisine.

It is still unknown when the Sichuanese invented this sauce. Some unreliable news reports suggested mala was invented in the early 20th century. It was also reported that some restaurants serve mala with poppy, and make it more addictive to customers.

Taiwan and Inner Mongolia also have their varieties of Mala sauce.

[edit] Dishes

• Mala hot pot (麻辣火鍋)
• Mala bunch (麻辣燙): Snack food, a bunch of vegetable made in Mala soup
• Slavering chicken (口水雞): Cold chicken served in mala sauce. (“Slavering” here means “mouth-watering”, literally “saliva”; nothing to do with slavery.)
• Couples' lung (夫妻肺片): Ox's scalp, tongue, abdomen, sometimes also lung, served with oily mala sauce

[edit] See also

• Szechuan cuisine
• Mapo doufu