SOME like it hot. Food, that is. And regional Chinese cuisine offers some among the tastiest spicy dishes in the world.

Some people become almost addicted to that super spicy sensation, which comes from capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers. It stimulates the nerve ends of the taste buds.

Chili peppers originated in the Americas and were introduced into China late in the 16th century. In 1591, writer Gao Lian, in “Zun Sheng Ba Jian” (“Eight Notes to Obey in Life”), provided the earliest known documentation of the use of chili peppers in China, describing the fruit’s color and taste.

The chili pepper arrived in China from caravans along the famous Silk Road to the west and from ships plying the Strait of Malacca to the south.

Sichuan, Shandong and Hebei provinces have traditionally been the three top three chili producing areas, but now the fiery peppers are widely grown across China. Different regions have adapted the fruit to distinctive local cuisines. The spicy taste can vary greatly.

Sichuan and Chongqing – the spiced heat

Hailed as the heartland of spicy cuisine is the Sichuan Basin region in southwestern China.

Chili peppers came into the cuisine of this area during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911).

The trend spread quickly. According to Fu Chongju’s “Chengdu Tonglan,” a guide to the Sichuan capital city, chili peppers were an indispensable ingredient in Sichuan cuisine by the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908). Different varieties of chilies were cultivated in rural areas across Sichuan.

The cuisine of Sichuan and the neighboring provincial-level metropolis of Chongqing is known for its tongue-numbing hotness, the result of combining chili peppers with Sichuan peppercorns.

Both places are famous for their spicy hotpots, a delight for hardcore spicy food lovers. They vary slightly. The Chengdu hotpot uses a more fragrant, milder soup base filled with chilies and fresh green peppercorn, while recipes in Chongqing use a heavier beef base with more chili peppers, dried peppercorns and other strong spices to enhance the flavors.

The meats and vegetables cooked in the hotpots are similar, but the Chongqing style is more rustic and favors the not-so-common animal organs like duck intestines and bovine blood vessels.

Many spicy dishes in Sichuan and Chongqing use a mix of peppers, spices and sauces to create layers of flavor.

Sichuan chili oil is made by pouring hot oil already seasoned with dried peppercorns, ginger, garlic and green onion into ground dried chili pepper, sesame seeds and fried peanuts. A variety of chili peppers is used, including the medium-hot “facing heaven pepper” and the very spicy capsicum frutescens from Yunnan Province.

For Sichuan favorites, like fish boiled in chili oil or mapo tofu, spicy doubanjiang (fermented broad-bean paste) from the town of Pixian in Sichuan is the key ingredient, adding soul to the dishes.

Hunan and Guizhou – the hottest cuisines

Three years ago, the social media platform Weibo hosted a popular but controversial ranking to determine which province had the spiciest food. The winner was Hunan Province.

The people in Hunan can eat seriously spicy foods and cook with large amounts of fresh and dried chili peppers in their daily meals. There’s a popular local saying: “It’s not a dish without chili.” Even young children can eat very spicy dishes.

The spiciness of Hunan cuisine, which is also called Xiang cuisine, is different from Sichuan and Chongqing, where the numbing peppercorn takes the lead. Hunan food is bluntly spicy and very salty.

Duojiao is the signature of Hunan cuisine, a pickled chili sauce that can be eaten directly as a side or added to various dishes. It’s made from very small, hot fresh chili peppers diced with garlic and ginger, and then seasoned with salt and white distilled liquor before sealing in jars to pickle for a few days.

One of the most famous dishes in Hunan cuisine is fish head steamed with duojiao, a very spicy and salty dish best prepared with big-head carp.

Mashed chili pepper is a popular starter dish in Hunan, especially in summer. Spicy fresh green chilies are sautéed over low heat until they soften. They are then mashed with garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and fermented bean paste. The chili peppers can also be mashed with preserved egg or eggplant.

In western Hunan, there is a dish called waipocai, or “grandma’s dish.” It’s a typical home-style stir-fry made with the herb purslane, green and red chili peppers, diced radish, green vegetables and minced pork.

Hunan’s ranking as the No. 1 spicy province, was followed in second place by Guizhou Province, which lies between Hunan and Sichuan.

Guizhou-style chicken with chilies is a traditional representative of the local cuisine. Unlike the Sichuan version that’s cooked with dried chili peppers, the Guizhou dish is stir-fried with ciba lajiao. That is a glutinous-textured chili pepper condiment made by grinding dried chilis that have been soaked in water with tender ginger and garlic. The chunks of chicken are then stir-fried with the ciba lajiao paste and seasoned with salt, soy sauce and sugar. Another unique chili pepper condiment in Guizhou is called hu lajiao, which is made by grinding toasted dried chili peppers. It’s often mixed with soy sauce, cilantro or other ingredients to make a dipping sauce for hotpots and meat dishes.

The combination of spicy and sour is also a signature of Guizhou cuisine. Sour fish soup is a must-try dish when visiting Guizhou. It’s cooked with a special suan tang, or sour broth, made by fermenting rice soup and the water from washed rice, and then adding pickled chili pepper, ginger, bean sprouts and green onion into stew with chunks of fish.

The sour fish soup can also be served in hotpot style, with more vegetables and meat.

Guizhou is the home of the most famous Chinese chili condiment — Lao Gan Ma, or “the godmother.” Tao Huabi created the brand in 1996, and it’s now the biggest chili sauce company in China. A few years ago luxury goods website Gilt was selling Lao Gan Ma for US$6 a bottle to foreign buyers, roughly five times its price in China.

Shaanxi – the piquant spicy cuisine

Spicy food is not exclusive to China’s southwest. The cuisine of the northeastern province of Shaanxi is also known for its tingling flavors.

The level of spiciness in Shaanxi cuisine is not as hot as in Sichuan, Hunan or Guizhou. It’s more aromatic and fragrant, and the dish that best represents the local taste is you po mian.

It’s made by splashing boiling rapeseed oil on top of cooked noodles and green vegetables, dried chili pepper powder, salt and chopped green onion.

A few drops of vinegar are then drizzled on the dish so that the sizzling chili oil coats the noodles evenly. This dish is best enjoyed hot.

The chili oil here made by adding hot oil to dried chili powder seasoned with some sesame seed and salt. It is used in many dishes in Shaanxi, such as a topping for cold rice noodle or other salad dishes. To maximize the aroma of the chili peppers, no other spices are added.

People in Shaanxi also love sour and spicy foods, with Qishan vinegar adding the sour flavor to various dishes. It’s a must-have ingredient in the famous Qishan noodles, a hot and spicy soup with minced pork topping.