Many kinds of Szechuan pepper have been used in cooking and in medicine in China, India and Japan for centuries. The Szechuan pepper has a pronounced spicy-woody aroma, and a numbing, rather than a sharp or bitter taste. Szechuan pepper is an excellent seasoning for poultry and meat, and in China it is used to flavor dishes such as Szechuan crispy duck and Pang-Pang chicken, a peppery dish, served chilled with cucumber and scallions.