Sichuan style food

Yes, Sichuan (Szechuan) style food is spicy. And not only the chili variety of spicy. What makes Sichuan spiciness so unique is the heavy use of Sichuan pepper. The Chinese have a distinct expression for this spicy sensation in your mouth: Mala. Sichuan pepper causes a numbness in the mouth, which no other condiment can offer (Mala roughly translated means numbing and hot). 

I personally prefer Sichuan food over let's say Northeastern Chinese food. Being a landlocked province, seafood is not an integral part of its cuisine, which is more than OK with me. And of course the famous Sichuan hotpot, combined with the distinct mala taste makes this cuisine easily my favorite.