For several years, gai bo (“chicken pot”) was all the rage at Hong Kong ... Behind the spice and numbness of Sichuan dishes, lies a dark and bloody history of wars and conflicts.

some Sichuan dishes, like velvet shark’s fin, braised bear’s paw, crisp duck roasted with camphor and tea, sea cucumber with pungent flavor, minced chicken with hollyhock, boiled pork with ...