Request for seasoning help

Ed Grabau and Pam Jacoby said:

I'm looking for something beyond importing vast quantities of Sichaun peppercorns! I'm willing
to do the grinding. I just want a resource for something less than a pound of peppercorns, and a
"gist" recipe of how to do it.

Looks like The CMC Company has them, 2 oz for $5.25. See <http://www.thecmccompany.com/chin.htm>.
Maybe they are selling old stock...

Victor

Victor Sack said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like The CMC Company has them, 2 oz for $5.25. See <http://www.thecmccompany.com/chin.htm>.
Maybe they are selling old stock...

Victor

The gossip of alt.food.asian is that they are now importing the Sichuan peppercorns again. Perhaps
Penzey's will pick it up. I used to make mine by toasting the corns and crushing them half and half
with kosher salt.

abc.net.aus966547.htmOpen ↗ says to do one part corns to three parts salt. Have
you tried emailing Penzey's? I've gotten replies from them. HTH blacksalt

"kalanamak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The gossip of alt.food.asian is that they are now importing the Sichuan peppercorns again. Perhaps
Penzey's will pick it up. I used to make mine by toasting the corns and crushing them half and
half with kosher salt.

<snip> I read elsewhere that it's not so. While it can be still be found, those selling them are
likely selling either old stock (at the time of the ban, stores that still had stock could continue
to sell it, but could not import more), or stock smuggled in from China or Canada.

Here's a quotation from someone at worldspice.com (quotation is from
forums.egullet.comindex.phpOpen ↗ ). The thread is from earlier this month.

---begin paste--- "No movement on the sichuan pepper front and honestly, none expected. You're
jousting with the citrus lobby in DC on this one and there just isn't a strong enough coordinated
effort to change it.

Any that you find, and I know the sources you speak of, is most definately illegal. The only way
it's allowed into the country is "roasted and ground" and that completely destroys the flavour. If
you find it whole, or see it on the net, chances are it's not real sichan pepper or the USDA is
already en route to their doorsteps. With the homeland security money up for grabs, every agency is
making efforts to prove their worth, hence, stronger enforcement.

I believe that the first discovery gets the product confiscated, the second, a fine in the thousands
of dollars range. Personally, I'm not willing to risk it.

Good luck to you, enjoy some next time you find yourself in Vancouver at Sun Sui Wah. :-)" ---
end paste---

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

Rona Yuthasastrakosol quoted someone else:

Quoted message said:

The only way it's allowed into the country is "roasted and ground" and that completely destroys
the flavour.

Well, that's what I do with it, that's what many do with it. I assume this imprecise writer means
"if not used right away". If these was a big enough market, there would be roasters and grinders
flying this stuff in while still toasty warm. blacksalt

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" wrote

Quoted message said:

"kalanamak" <

Quoted message said:

The gossip of alt.food.asian is that they are now importing the Sichuan peppercorns again.
Perhaps Penzey's will pick it up. I used to make mine by toasting the corns and crushing them
half and half with kosher salt.

<snip> I read elsewhere that it's not so. While it can be still be found, those selling them are
likely selling either old stock (at the time of the ban, stores that still had stock could
continue to sell it, but could not

import

Quoted message said:

more), or stock smuggled in from China or Canada.

Here's a quotation from someone at worldspice.com (quotation is from
forums.egullet.comindex.phpOpen ↗ ). The thread is from earlier this month.

---begin paste--- "No movement on the sichuan pepper front and honestly, none expected.

You're

Quoted message said:

jousting with the citrus lobby in DC on this one and there just isn't a strong enough coordinated
effort to change it.

Any that you find, and I know the sources you speak of, is most definately illegal. The only way
it's allowed into the country is "roasted and

ground"

Quoted message said:

and that completely destroys the flavour. If you find it whole, or see it

on

Quoted message said:

the net, chances are it's not real sichan pepper or the USDA is already en route to their
doorsteps. With the homeland security money up for grabs, every agency is making efforts to prove
their worth, hence, stronger enforcement.

I believe that the first discovery gets the product confiscated, the

second,

Quoted message said:

a fine in the thousands of dollars range. Personally, I'm not willing to risk it.

Good luck to you, enjoy some next time you find yourself in Vancouver at

Sun

Quoted message said:

Sui Wah. :-)" ---end paste---

rona

OK, my first reaction was to thank Victor for the resource, and I will do so, because it's a
good source.

I am, however, totally in the dark as to why we can't have these peppercorns. I got some gobble from
a clerk at a Penzey's store a few years back that I never really understood and don't think
contained any real information. Just what is the issue?

Thanks, Pam

Ed Grabau and Pam Jacoby <[email hidden]> wrote:

[of Sichuan peppercorns]

Quoted message said:

I am, however, totally in the dark as to why we can't have these peppercorns. I got some gobble
from a clerk at a Penzey's store a few years back that I never really understood and don't think
contained any real information. Just what is the issue?

Sichuan peppercorns are said to carry Citrus canker that can be dangerous to citrus crops, so USDA
has banned them from import into the US.

Victor

On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 07:08:25 -0800, kalanamak <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Well, that's what I do with it, that's what many do with it. I assume this imprecise writer means
"if not used right away". If these was a big enough market, there would be roasters and grinders
flying this stuff in while still toasty warm. blacksalt

They could roast it on the ships just before they dock.

:-)

-sw

Victor Sack said:

Sichuan peppercorns are said to carry Citrus canker that can be dangerous to citrus crops, so USDA
has banned them from import into the US.

Victor

Would that be the "growing" peppercorns rather than the finished retail ready product? Goomba

Goomba38 said:

Victor Sack said:

Sichuan peppercorns are said to carry Citrus canker that can be dangerous to citrus crops, so
USDA has banned them from import into the US.

Would that be the "growing" peppercorns rather than the finished retail ready product?

Apparently it is the retail product that is deemed to be dangerous, otherwise why would they ban it?

Victor

Victor Sack said:

Quoted message said:

Would that be the "growing" peppercorns rather than the finished retail ready product?

Apparently it is the retail product that is deemed to be dangerous, otherwise why would
they ban it?

Victor

I dunno... I'm just trying to make heads or tails out of the ban. Do they fear these peppercorns
being sprinkled among citrus fields or something? I'm trying to think of other agricultural products
that aren't grown here that the finished product is also banned? Goomba

Steve Wertz said:

kalanamak said:

Well, that's what I do with it, that's what many do with it. I assume this imprecise writer means
"if not used right away". If these was a big enough market, there would be roasters and grinders
flying this stuff in while still toasty warm. blacksalt

They could roast it on the ships just before they dock.

:-)

This goes right in with my gourmand's imagination along with selling gourmet whole cream of a
specific breed so that the purchaser could churn (cuisinart) their own butter and the mailorder
store that would ship out only the freshest best stuff like nuts and beans, that the consumer could
keep in their deep freeze and use as the year goes by. blacksalt

Goomba38 said:

I dunno... I'm just trying to make heads or tails out of the ban. Do they fear these peppercorns
being sprinkled among citrus fields or something?

You never know what could become of the peppercorns once they get into the country. They are
infected with a bacterium highly contagious to citrus plants that is apparently destroyed by
roasting peppercorns, but not by just drying them. It is enought to infect just one local citrus
tree and the contagious lesions can then be spread far and wide by wind and rain. See, for example,
<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ep/citruscanker/>.

Victor