Sichuan pepper
The term "sichuan pepper" is often misunderstood. Sichuan pepper is not related to black pepper, white pepper, or chile peppers. While whole, green, freshly picked sichuan pepper may be used in cooking, the dried sichuan pepper is more commonly used. Once dried, the shiny black seeds inside the husk are discarded (they are hard and tasteless); the husk is what we know as sichuan pepper or peppercorn.