Ma la
The Sichuan taste pairing of tingling numbness (ma) and chilli heat (la).
Also: málà, numbing and hot, mala flavour, tingling heat
Ma la combines two Chinese sensations: ma, the numbing buzz of Sichuan pepper, and la, the burn of chilli. Together they define Sichuan cooking, in dishes such as mapo tofu, mala hotpot and dry-fried chicken. The numbness arises from sanshool, which activates touch-sensitive nerve endings and produces a tingling like a mild electric current. Chilli heat then rides above that sensation, so food tastes hotter yet, oddly, less painful. The taste is balanced with oil, salt and sweetness. Chilli entered Sichuan only in the sixteenth century, so before then, the cuisine relied on Sichuan pepper and ginger for its fire.