Which ingredients make Chongqing cuisine especially spicy?

Chongqing cuisine, a prominent style of Sichuan cuisine, is renowned for being highly spiced. The primary ingredient responsible for the intense heat in these dishes is the chili pepper, which contains capsaicin, a molecule that triggers a burning sensation on the tongue.12

To balance this piquant heat, Chongqing dishes frequently incorporate Sichuan pepper. Unlike chili peppers, Sichuan pepper is not a true pepper; it is a spice derived from the husks of the prickly ash plant. It contains a compound called hydroxy-alpha sanshool, which creates a unique numbing and vibrating sensation on the tongue and lips. This numbing effect is often used to offset the heat of chili peppers, allowing the complex flavors of the food to be more perceptible.2

These ingredients are central to the city's famous huoguo (hotpot), where meat and vegetables are cooked in a spicy soup base that highlights these bold, contrasting sensations.1