Editing Sichuan cuisine (section)

==History==
In the [[Middle Ages]], Sichuan welcomed [[Middle Eastern]] crops, such as [[broad beans]], [[sesame]] and [[walnuts]]. Since the 16th century, the list of major crops in Sichuan has even been lengthened by [[New World]] newcomers. The characteristic chili pepper originally came from [[Mexico]] but probably overland from [[India]] or by river from [[Macau]], complementing the traditional [[Sichuan peppercorn|Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns]]. Other newcomers from the New World included corn, which largely replaced [[millet]]; white potatoes introduced by [[Catholic missions]]; and sweet potatoes. The population of Sichuan was cut by perhaps three-quarters in the wars from the [[Ming dynasty]] to the [[Qing dynasty]]. Settlers from the adjacent [[Hunan|Hunan Province]] brought their cooking styles with them.<ref name="Anderson ">{{cite book|first=E.N.|last=Anderson|author-link=E. N. Anderson|chapter=Sichuan (Szechuan) Cuisine|pages=393–395|title=Encyclopedia of Food and Culture|location=New York|publisher=Scribner's|year=2003}}</ref>

Sichuan is colloquially known as the "heavenly country" due to its abundance of food and natural resources. One ancient Chinese account declared that the "people of Sichuan uphold good flavors, and they are fond of hot and spicy taste." Most Sichuan dishes are spicy, although a typical meal includes nonspicy dishes to cool the palate. Sichuan cuisine is composed of seven basic tastes: sweet, sour, numbingly spicy, spicy, bitter, fragrant/aromatic, and salty. Sichuan food is divided into five different types: sumptuous banquet, ordinary banquet, popular foods, household-style food and snacks. Milder versions of Sichuan dishes remain a staple of [[American Chinese cuisine]].<ref name=sz>{{cite book|trans-title=Peimei's Selection of Famous Dishes: Special Edition on Sichuan and Zhejiang Cuisine |script-title=zh:培梅名菜精選:川浙菜专辑|author=Fu, Peimei (傅培梅)|publisher=Tangerine Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. (橘子文化事業有限公司)|year=2005|page=9| language = zh-hant}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Is Sichuan food 100 dishes 100 flavors? |url=https://wenhua.5000yan.com/canyin/35707.html}}</ref>

The superior natural resources of [[Sichuan|Sichuan Province]] provided plenty natural resources for the development of cooking. The flow of the [[Yangtze|Yangtze river]] through Sichuan Province provided nutrients for fundamental foods, spices, and a source of water.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greer, Charles E. and Muranov, Aleksandr Pavlovich. |title=Yangtze River {{!}} Location, Map, Flood, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Yangtze-River |access-date=2022-04-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>