One day, over 1700 years ago, the famous Chinese political figure Ts'ao Ts'ao held a great banquet at his home. Although he prepared many rare and fine gourmet foods, he humbly apologized to his guests that he was unable to serve them perch from the Wusung River. At this the Taoist sorcerer Tso Tz'u promptly filled a bronze basin with water and fished a three-foot-long perch out of it. Ts'ao Ts'ao's only comment was, "Now that we have the fish, it's too bad we don't have fresh ginger root from Szechuan."

This anecdote points up how important ginger is in the preparation of seafood Chinese style. Strongly flavored condiments bring out the freshness, remove disagreeable odors, and enhance the flavor of a dish. Although the condiment may not itself stand out in a dish, it accents and melds the other flavors present. Indian cooking has its curry; Malaysian, its satay; Italian, its onions; Japanese, its wasabi. Some of the more common strong seasonings in Chinese cuisine include: star anise, used in stewing meat; pepper, which is sprinkled over hot and sour soup; fresh basil leaves, added to stir-fried clams; dried chili peppers, a key ingredient in kung pao chicken; fresh garlic, stir-fried with fresh greens like Chinese ung-choi; and so on. Most of these seasonings are also attributed with such medicinal properties as being analgesic, stomach fortifying, antirheumatic, sweat stimulating, and cough suppressing.

Climate has a considerable influence on the condiments favored in any particular geographical area. The people of Szechuan and Hunan, situated in the Yangtze River basin, use chili peppers with a heavy hand in their cooking; in Yellow River basin areas, large quantities of scallions and garlic are consumed; and in the coastal provinces of Kwangtung, Fukien, and Taiwan, ginger root is preferred.

Some high school students stop for a snack at a downtown Taipei beef noodle shop. "Not too many noodles, plenty of broth and chewy beef, and heavy on the chili oil," one tells the proprietor, deliberately imitating his thick Szechuan accent. The proprietor responds with a hearty laugh. "Now there're connoisseurs for you!" he exclaims.

Over forty years ago, Chinese author Tung Shih-chang described an unforgettable bowl of beef noodles he once ate in Szechuan Province. "The noodles were so hot," he wrote, "and the broth so red; it was so unbearably hot, yet so irresistible." And many do find hot food irresistible, even if it makes one's whole body break out in streams of sweat, and temporarily robs one of the ability to speak!

Chili peppers were originally eaten to counter the effects of Szechuan's extremely humid and sometimes chilly climate. But over time people came to feel that food "has to be hot to be good," a sentiment shared by residents of Hunan, Yunnan, Kiangsi, and Kwangsi Provinces. One Ching Dynasty official of Hunan was even known to hold chili pepper eating competitions among his children and grandchildren, and to grade his daughters-in-law on the quality of the chili soy sauce they made.

Chili peppers may pack a powerful punch, but unlike fennel or star anise, they do not detract from the other flavors of a dish. Besides China, chili peppers are a popular condiment in several other countries of Asia, such as Korea, Nepal, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore. One might ask just what it is about chili peppers that make them so appealing.

The answer to this question is a curious one. Eating chili literally causes pain. Chili peppers contain a highly irritating essence that causes capillaries on the surface of the tongue to swell. The swollen capillaries press down on nerve endings, resulting in a sensation of pain. It is this, along with the aroma of the chili inhaled through the nose, that creates the spicy hot "taste" (though no taste buds are sensitive to "piquancy") so eagerly sought by so many.

After 1949, people from every corner of China brought their local cuisines with them to Taiwan. And gradually, chili peppers began turning up in more and more places they had never been before, including Chekiang, Peking, and Taiwanese food.

Chili peppers can also be processed into numerous "hot" products, including Szechuan chili paste, Hunan fermented black bean chili paste, Hupeh pickled chili peppers, Kwangsi chili paste with garlic puree, Yunnan chili paste with brewer's grains, cayenne pepper, chili oil, dried chili peppers, and pickled chili peppers.

In response to consumer complaints that Taiwan-grown chilis are getting blander with each passing year, a delegation from the ROC Council of Agriculture made a special point of bringing back some "hotter" chilis from Central and South America while on a tour there to collect new agricultural products for Taiwan. Some of the eleven varieties of "superchilis" brought back from Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama have proved to be so hot that if one were to rub one of these chilis on one's hand, the burning sensation it caused could still be felt three days later. They are now being test-grown and will be available to Taiwan consumers in the very near future.

That just about sums up how northern Chinese feel about food. They put garlic, scallion, or green Chinese onion in virtually everything, and delight in eating these positively flavored plants raw. And they eat all parts of the garlic plant: the tender leaves, or "garlic sprouts;" the white and green of the stem and mature leaves; of course, the bulb; and even garlic blossoms. During the short time garlic blossoms are available, they are more expensive to buy than meat!

Garlic has undeniable culinary appeal, but the bad breath it brings with it is quite another matter. Allicin, a sulphide compound volatile oil, is the culprit. One remedy for "garlic breath" is to drink a cup of strong tea, or to suck on a lemon. Much of the problem can be prevented by thorough cooking of the garlic.

On the other hand, garlic has proven antibacterial properties, and is an aid in controlling high blood pressure. Its many beneficial properties without question outweigh its one shortcoming of being irritating to the eyes.

Northern Chinese are every bit as fond of scallions as they are of garlic. They particularly prize the large, strong-flavored green Chinese onion. It is commonly dipped in sweet soy bean paste and eaten with Peking duck, or roast lamb, or Chinese flatbread.

Scallions turn up in everything from egg fried rice to miso soup to stir-fried greens, just to mention a few. Because of their great versatility, the ancient Chinese referred to scallions as "the vegetable that gets along with everyone."

People tend to prefer the white part of the scallion for reasons of taste, and often discard much of the tougher green stem. In response to market demand, farmers pile up earth around the developing scallions to make them grow whiter and taller. But it is the green portion that contains the most nutrients--twenty times the amount of vitamin A contained in the white portion.

Though it may seem hard to imagine Chinese food without scallions, Chinese Buddhist vegetarians do manage to avoid them, along with Chinese chives, garlic, chili pepper, and fennel, because of their stimulating properties.

Ginger is prized for its ability to remove or cover up unpleasant or undesired fishy odors and tastes in seafood. Unlike scallions, ginger lets the natural savor of a fish come through. Tender and mild "young ginger" can be used as a vegetable of itself, as when it is stir-fried with beef, or it can be pickled in brine, vinegar, or soy sauce for use as a condiment. Cooked into a brown sugar liquid, it becomes part of a folk remedy for colds. It is also an important part of a new mother's diet for one month after giving birth, supposedly making her less vulnerable to cold and chill.

The Chinese have developed one of the most sophisticated cuisines in the world. Yet for all its bear paws, shark fins, and swallow's nests, a true gourmet of Chinese food prefers a dish made of ordinary ingredients prepared simply yet skillfully. A truly good cook can make egg fried rice or whole fish in soy sauce something really special.

And to do that, piquant condiments are one of the keys to success.

[Picture Caption]

(Above) Bright red chili peppers give Szechuan pickled vegetables their pungent appeal.

(Below) "Wontons in Red Oil"--a hot but delectable treat.

(Right) "Frog Legs with Ginkgo Nuts in Bean Paste"--a famous Hunan restaurant dish made with chili peppers, garlic, and scallions.

Garlic powder sprinkled over hot buttered baguettes--tasty, toasty garlic bread.

Air-cured beef stir-fried with green garlic stalks and dotted with red chili peppers--a harmony of color, aroma, and flavor.

"Green Shirt and White Pants"--the white portion of the scallion is used for Chicken with Scallions in Oil; the green portion of the scallion complements the diced ham of shrimp cakes.

(Above) Pickled ginger is at once sweet, tart, and salty. It is served with Japanese sushi.

(Below) Ginger shreds remove undesired fishy odors and bring out the freshness of fish soup.

Preparing the soil for early spring planting of ginger.

（Above） Bright red chili peppers give Szechuan pickled vegetables their pungent appeal.

（Below） "Wontons in Red Oil"--a hot but delectable treat.

（Right） "Frog Legs with Ginkgo Nuts in Bean Paste"--a famous Hunan restaurant dish made with chili peppers, garlic, and scallions.

Garlic powder sprinkled over hot buttered baguettes--tasty, toasty garlic bread.

Air-cured beef stir-fried with green garlic stalks and dotted with red chili peppers--a harmony of color, aroma, and flavor.

"Green Shirt and White Pants"--the white portion of the scallion is used for Chicken with Scallions in Oil; the green portion of the scallion complements the diced ham of shrimp cakes.

the green portion of the scallion complements the diced ham of shrimp cakes.

（Above） Pickled ginger is at once sweet, tart, and salty. It is served with Japanese sushi.

（Below） Ginger shreds remove undesired fishy odors and bring out the freshness of fish soup.

Preparing the soil for early spring planting of ginger.