All of these dishes come from the southwest corner of China, which is known for its affinity for spice.

Today we're focusing on the food of Sichuan and Chongqing.

Chinese food is more than just stir fry noodles and dumplings.

I'm Claressa and I'm taking you on a journey through China to try authentic Chinese food region by region, Sichuan and Chongqing are on the southwest corridor of China.

They used to be part of the same province, but in 1997 tanking became its own municipality.

Still, they share the same food culture may well be O e to change the whole woman.

You're not cover and shall just so you mean What Sichuan and Chongqing have in common is their love for spicy and numbing things.

And locals say that's because of the geography.

What translates to numbing and spicy?

It's made possible by peppercorns and chili peppers.

Former is native to China, and the latter came to China via South America in the 17th century by Portuguese traders.

Sichuan food is also heavy on salt because this place to the gong was the epicenter of salt production in China at one point, the city supplied a third of all salt consumed in the country.

Salt was also used for preservation, which is why you'll find a lot of fermented vegetables in Sichuan.

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Fermented hot sauces.

Air, also very common, like petion open.

Made with H broad beans and chili, these pungent flavors are a hallmark of Sichuan cuisine.

Food is literally dipped in spice.

This area is also the capital of hot pot, which is a cauldron of spicy broth where the ingredients are cooked table side.

In fact, taunting is the capital of hot pot, where there are over 10,000 shops dedicated to the dish.

Tripe and other types of awful are especially loved as hot pot ingredients, mostly because they're cheap.

In fact, in taunting, there are markets dedicated to selling things for hot pot restaurants that open at night and close early in the morning.

Leafy greens are another staple of the hot pot table, and this region is full of them.

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Land also means lots of animals, and there's one that's especially beloved as food in Sichuan Rabbit fur.

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Chengdu is in the Sichuan Basin, and it's flanked by mountains on all sides.

And there's the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau on the West.

Because the land is so fertile because of the warm and wet climate, it's actually a perfect breeding ground for rabbits and rabbits, of course, breed like rabbits.

And so there's a lot of rabbit meat in Sichuan, and people really love eating it up.

Next we have a food tour and launching filled with spicy dishes and a whole episode dedicated to fermentation, where I learned how to make lacto fermented pickles in the Sichuan countryside stay tuned.