YOU COULD CALL Yao Zhao a sermonizer of spices, or a preacher of pepper. At his company 50Hertz Tingly Foods, which specializes in premium Szechuan pepper, the mission is, in his words, “to spread the tingle.”
Szechuan pepper, the tiny dried fruit of the prickly ash tree, delivers zesty, floral flavors, along with a tingly sensation on your lips and tongue when eaten—a sensation similar to 50 hertz of electricity, hence the name of Zhao’s company.
In Szechuan cooking, Szechuan pepper is famously paired with hot chile peppers to create a mala (“numbing and spicy”) flavor profile for dishes like mapo tofu. But Zhao wants to showcase its versatility and potential for all kinds of dishes—not just spicy ones. Zhao focused first on pantry ingredients, with a line of Szechuan pepper oils and dried red and green Szechuan peppers that have been embraced by many chefs around the country.
But, Zhao says, for cooks inexperienced in cooking with Szechuan pepper, the pantry ingredients were intimidating. “I needed something that could carry the tingly sensation, to show how that flavor can be approachable.” His answer came in the form of peanuts.
To make 50Hertz Tingly Sichuan Pepper Peanuts, Zhao sources peanuts from eastern China, where they grow large and plump—to the size of a proper cocktail peanut—in the sandy soils along the Yellow River. To ensure the tingly flavor thoroughly permeates each one, they’re fried with red and green Szechuan peppers, then seasoned with salt, lightly sweetened, and hit with a little rosemary. The result is a crunchy, salty, zesty snack with a pronounced but pleasant buzzing sensation that fades just quickly enough to make you want another one. All in all, they make a deeply satisfying snack—and a delicious introduction to Szechuan pepper. ($9 for a 5.5-ounce can, 50hertzfoods.com)
