ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hujiao bing

Hujiao bing is a type of Chinese pastry that is made with flour, sugar, and a special ingredient called Sichuan peppercorns. Sichuan peppercorns are like tiny little seeds that come from a plant in China. They have a very unique taste that is both spicy and numbing.

To make hujiao bing, first the flour is mixed with a little bit of water and kneaded into a dough. Then, the dough is rolled out flat and sprinkled with sugar and crushed Sichuan peppercorns. The dough is then folded up like a little package and flattened again.

After that, the pastry is cooked on a hot griddle until it is golden brown and crispy. When you take a bite of hujiao bing, you can taste the sweetness of the sugar, the crunchiness of the pastry, and the spiciness and numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns all at once.

It's a very popular snack in China and is often eaten with tea or as a dessert. It might sound a little weird to have something that's both spicy and numbing in a pastry, but trust me, it's delicious!