How did Sichuan cuisine, which was mainly spicy, taste before pepper was introduced to China?

The taste of Sichuan food at that time must be very different from that of Sichuan food today, including Hunan food. Nowadays, Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine are mainly spicy, but the taste at that time was heavier, but it was not as spicy as it is now. For example, Sichuan used pepper and cinnamon as seasoning at that time, and pepper was not introduced to China until the Ming Dynasty, so it was only later that Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine began to use pepper to improve the taste of dishes.

I believe everyone knows that many dishes in Southwest China are very spicy, such as Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine. The food here is very spicy. Almost all the dishes are accompanied with chili, but many people find it strange, because chili is not native to China, but imported from abroad. There was no pepper in ancient China, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that pepper, an imported seasoning, began to appear. According to historical records, Hunan cuisine tasted only sour and salty at that time.

At that time, although Hunan and Jiangxi didn't eat spicy food, the locals had learned to pickle food. For example, when you come to the southwest, it is common for local people to pickle sausages and bacon. These are very historic ways to eat in the local area, while Sichuan used to eat spicy food, but instead of Chili, it used spices such as Chili or cinnamon. Just like the five spices now, the taste of food can be adjusted more heavily and slowly southwest.

In the Ming Dynasty, various exotic edible vegetables entered China, such as potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Moreover, Sichuan cuisine itself is suitable for putting peppers. At that time, when pepper was introduced, I tried to blend it into Sichuan cuisine, and found that the taste became better, so today's Sichuan cuisine is inseparable from pepper, including Hunan cuisine, which is also very spicy. No pepper, it's made.