Written by: Staff Report
Posted on: January 30, 2020 | 
| 中文
A Home-Style Chinese Hotpot
One of China’s most revered and “hotly” debated dishes is the Chinese Hotpot. The Chinese word for hotpot is huoguo (“hwor-gwor”) which translates to ‘firepot’. It has a simple yet effective concept: a steaming dish of broth in which one can dip and cook various meats and vegetables, and take them out when they have finished cooking. Hotpot chain restaurants are quite abundant in China, particularly in Beijing or Chongqing in the South-West region.
A Hotpot Restaurant
The fun in eating from a hotpot comes from its do-it-yourself character. Originally, the only ingredients that went in the hotpot were meat (mutton and horse). But nowadays, anything can be added to the pot of broth, from meat, to vegetables, to seafood, to tofu and more. The dish is often associated with long dinners, and meaningful conversations with friends and family while waiting for the ingredients to cook.
The most commonly accepted origin of the hotpot takes the dish back to the Jin Dynasty, 800-1000 years ago. Mongol warriors on the outskirts of the Chinese empire would use their helmets as pots for soup, after a weary day of travel and battle. They carried little cooking utensils, and these helmet pots served as a way to stay warm by a fire, but also have a long and hearty meal.
A Han Dynasty Hotpot from China (photo credits to IACASS)
Initially consumed in the Northern parts of the country, the hotpot spread South over time. In the 1820s, fishermen on the Yangtze River used hotpots as communal, spicy broths that were cheap and easy to maintain. Some entrepreneurs saw this as a business opportunity, and created dividers to ensure each person received their uniquely desired flavor. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that the dish was served in restaurants in Chongqing.
Many places in China have adjusted the hotpot according to their regional cuisines and required ingredients. The hotpots of Beijing are volcanic pots of simple broth, with thinly sliced pieces of meat and vegetables. But hotpots in Sichuan are much spicier, due to the vast amounts of ginger and peppercorn in the broth, and are said to offer more variety of food to cook in the broth.
A Sichuan Hotpot Upclose
There are other, lesser-known variants of hotpots found in China, such as the seafood hotpot of Guangdong, the sauerkraut hotpot in the North-East, and the chrysanthemum hotpot of Hangzhou.
There are great health benefits to eating food out of hotpots. As opposed to introducing oil or fat to cook the ingredients, the meat and vegetables soak in their own nutrients in the broth. While the dish was initially seen as a winter dish, it is now enjoyed all year round, because the heat of the broth allows people to sweat and cool off in the hotter months (particularly in the humid South-Western regions). Some of the seasonings used in the broths and sauces are also used in traditional herbal medicines, as a cure for colds, blocked sinuses and headaches.
Volcano-Like Beijing Hotpots
In 2018, the city of Anhui caused controversy throughout the country by declaring itself as the hometown of hotpot, as a way to increase tourism in the area. There was hue and cry from people of other cities on social media, because the hotpot is not a lone man’s dish, nor is it simply a humble pot of broth.
The hotpot has the potential to bring together people and memories over a long, lazy and low-maintenance meal. On a larger scale, it serves as a good way for Chinese people to show off the best of their region’s cuisine, and have the flavor of the ingredients take centre stage. Perhaps this is why the Chinese take so much pride in their dish and guard it so fiercely. Whether you find yourself with a big group in China, or a Chinese restaurant somewhere in the world, do take the time to try out an authentic hotpot.
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