Sichuan pepper
Sichuan pepper figures prominently in spicy Sichuan food. It goes with fish, duck, and chicken dishes, as well as with fried eggplant. It has an alkaline pH and a numbing effect on the lips when eaten in larger doses.  Ma la (; literally "numb and hot"), a flavour common in Sichuan cooking, is a combination of Sichuan pepper and chili pepper.