Not just home to Lao Gan Ma, Guizhou is where China’s chilli culture was born

The last few years have seen chilli crisp grow in international fame, with the crunchy, oily, umami-packed condiment being drizzled over eggs, folded into ice cream and debated with an intensity that borders on obsession.
In 2024, that fervour bubbled over into a lawsuit when chef David Chang of the Momofuku restaurant empire claimed “common law” rights to “chili crunch” after acquiring the trademark for “chile crunch”, sparking outrage across the food world and ultimately forcing the company to...