The Great Hunan Migration
When the chile first made its way to China from the New World, the Hunanese were one of its earliest adopters in the late 17th century. But Hunan food sets itself apart from Sichuanese in two big ways: It doesn't use the tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorn, and savory dishes lack the sweetness of their Sichuan counterparts. "So while the Sichuanese have all kinds of spicy-sweet-savoury combinations," says Dunlop, "including the 'fish-fragrant' and 'garlic paste' flavors, the Hunanese tend to go for bold savory tastes, chile-hot tastes, and sour-hot tastes."

Us Americans are pretty confused about what Hunan food means and how it differs from other regional cuisines, even though "Hunan-style" restaurants in the U.S. date back to the 1970s.