Why is it said that pork should be avoided with pepper and mutton with aniseed?

In the culinary world, there is a popular saying that "pork should be avoided with Sichuan peppercorns and mutton should be avoided with aniseed." Many people also have doubts about the authenticity of this statement. And why it is said that pork should be avoided with Sichuan peppercorns and mutton should be avoided with aniseed, maybe most people don’t understand. Today we will talk about why pork should avoid Sichuan peppercorns and mutton should avoid aniseed.

Pork is a kind of warm meat, and Sichuan peppercorns are also warm in nature, so when the two are paired together, the food will become warmer. Moreover, the pork stewed with Sichuan peppercorns is dry and woody, with a very poor texture and can easily cover up the taste of the food itself. Mutton is also a warming ingredient, and aniseed is also a warming spice. Combining the two is not good for your health. This is from a theoretical perspective, but without practice, no amount of theory is of much use.

In our rural areas, there is a saying that "the pigs don't have the pepper, the sheep don't have the meat". What we pay attention to when stewing mutton soup is the original flavor and the "freshness". But adding aniseed will take away the freshness of the mutton, and the taste will become very bad. So we never add any extra ingredients when making mutton soup. Anyone who does will be laughed at.

As for the saying "pork without pepper", it does not apply to all cooking methods of pork. You may have discovered when cooking, you can add Sichuan peppercorns when frying, stir-frying, or deep-frying pork, and it will not have any impact on the taste of the pork. In fact, the term "pig without pepper" is more applicable to pork stew. When stewing pork, if you add Sichuan peppercorns, the meat will become very hard and not as delicious as without it. In fact, these are the experiences summed up by the older generation, and there is some truth in them. No matter what dish you cook, the seasonings must be used properly, otherwise it will not only affect the taste, but also affect your health.