A Tribute to Tribute Pepper
Greetings, Friends of The Mala Market!
The 2020 spice harvest has arrived! And with it comes one of the most exciting things we've ever imported, something we've been working on for three years—Qingxi Gong Jiao, or Tribute Pepper from Qingxi, Sichuan—history's most esteemed Sichuan pepper.
But first, you may be wondering why the 2020 harvest is arriving in 2021. Well, while Sichuan pepper is harvested in late summer, chilies do not fully ripen until fall. Normally they are picked in September, but China had so much rain in 2020 that many crops were destroyed or delayed, and chilies were not harvested until October. It then takes a full two months, at minimum, for processing, export approval, crossing the ocean, US Customs and FDA approval, trucking to us in Nashville, and repackaging from bulk.
But it's worth the wait! We have the finest selection of spices and chilies we've ever had. Keep reading for the details of this harvest and our newest Sichuan pepper variety, the elusive Tribute Pepper.
And that's not all! Almost everything else is back in stock as well, including all the chilies and the longest-aged and most-flavorful Pixian doubanjiang on the market, packaged freshly and exclusively for us in the fall.
Happy 2021!
🌶Taylor & Fongchong 🌶
P.S. Replacements for the few products that have recently sold out will be trickling in over the next month, along with a few new surprises!
|