Yichuan Dahongpao Prickly Ash

Yichuan Dahongpao Prickly Ash

　　Yichuan’s specialty, Dahongpao Prickly Ash, is known as the “No.1 Prickly Ash in the World.” In 1995, it won the Houtu Golden Statue Award at the China Yangling Agricultural Expo and the Provincial Quality Product Award, and is exported to Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Shanxi, and other provinces. Products developed from it, such as prickly ash essence, prickly ash powder, and five-spice powder, have shown significant economic benefits. Yan’an’s prickly ash is mainly found in Yichuan, Huanglong, Yanchang, and Yanchuan counties, with Yichuan having the highest cultivation and yield, making it a renowned pepper-producing county in Shaanxi Province. In 1996, the city produced 572,000 kilograms of pepper, of which Yichuan accounted for 360,000 kilograms and Huanglong 170,000 kilograms. Yichuan Dahongpao Prickly Ash has a long history. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* records: “Qin pepper, also known as prickly ash, originated in Qin.” The Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era *Yichuan County Annals* also makes mention of it. Yichuan Dahongpao Prickly Ash features bright color, large grains, thick flesh, rich flavor, early fruiting, and high yield, making it a primary ingredient for premium fragrances and edible seasonings.