When someone says "Chinese food" in Spain, the mental image that activates is usually the same: chicken with almonds, spring rolls, three-delicacy rice. It's a valid image to describe such a small fraction of what China eats that it's almost comical. China has eight officially recognized culinary traditions, and dozens of regional styles. Sichuan cuisine is one of the most complex, influential, and—outside China—most misunderstood of all.
Sichuan is a province in southwestern China, with over 80 million inhabitants. The climate is humid, cloudy almost all year—the Sichuanese say the sun comes out so rarely that dogs bark in amazement when it appears. This persistent humidity partly explains the cuisine: strong spice activates circulation and helps the body regulate moisture.
But what distinguishes Sichuan from other spicy cuisines isn't intensity—it's complexity. A good dish balances up to eight flavors: spicy (辣), numbing (麻), sweet (甜), sour (酸), salty (咸), umami (鲜), bitter (苦), and aromatic (香).
If there's one word that defines Sichuan cuisine, it's mala (麻辣). It's not a sauce—it's a sensation formed by two elements that enhance each other:
La (辣): the heat of the chili, the capsaicin that activates heat and pain receptors. Universal.
Ma (麻): the numbing of Sichuan pepper, the hydroxy-alpha-sanshool that activates tactile mechanoreceptors. Unique in the world.
When these two elements combine correctly, the result has no equivalent in any other cuisine on the planet.
Doubanjiang is made with fermented beans and fresh chilies aged for months, sometimes years. The version from Pixian is considered the best. It's the most important ingredient in all of Sichuan cuisine—the flavor base of Mapo Tofu, Kung Pao, and most regional stews.
It's not pepper. It's the dried husk of a berry from the Zanthoxylum tree, from the citrus family. Its active principle—hydroxy-alpha-sanshool—exists in no other known culinary ingredient. There are two varieties: red (more aromatic, floral notes) and green (fresher, more citrusy). At HAMMER we use both.
They're not habaneros or cayenne. They're the erjingtiao and chaotian, specific regional varieties, more aromatic and less aggressively spicy than common chilies, with a more complex flavor profile.
Cantonese cuisine is the most exported to the world because it's the region where most of the Chinese diaspora emigrated from. It values subtlety, steaming, light sauces, fresh seafood. Sichuan cuisine is almost the opposite: complex fermentations, abundant chili oil, aromas that hit you from the street. They're two very different ways of understanding cuisine, equally valid.
Most Chinese restaurants in Spain emerged from immigration in the 80s-90s, from Zhejiang and Fujian, and adapted their cuisine to local taste. HAMMER was born with a clear premise: authentic Sichuan cuisine, without adaptations. We don't sweeten dishes. We don't substitute difficult ingredients. We import Pixian doubanjiang, the correct Sichuan pepper, the appropriate dried chilies.
If you're coming for the first time: start with Mapo Tofu, add the Twice-Cooked Pork, Kung Pao for balance, and Pollo Mala if you want to go further. Check out our menu and choose your level. Madrid and Barcelona now have their authentic Sichuan restaurant.
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