Sichuan food history: from Ming to McDonald's – and Rick and Morty

When the animated film Mulan was released in 1998, McDonald’s launched its SzeChuan Sauce, marketed as an accompaniment to their chicken McNuggets.

Almost 20 years later, the long-forgotten sauce regained its mainstream popularity thanks to adult cartoon Rick and Morty. But there is no such thing as SzeChuan Sauce in Sichuan province, China.

So where is this sauce from? And how does it differ from “authentic” Sichuanese food? With these questions in mind, Bernice Chan and Alkira Reinfrank explore the history and mystery of the spicy cuisine.