Sichuan Hotpot
By admin on 2015-01-30

Hotpot in Guangdong is called "Bian Lu", in Ningxia "Guo Zi" and in Sichuan "Huo Guo". Sichuan Hotpot was recorded even in the Three Capitals Rhapsodies written by Zuo Si, a writer of the Jin Dynasty, which can be a proof of its history of at least 1700 years. Textual researches have demonstrated that the real cradle of Sichuan Hotpot was the Xiaomi Dock (a moderate dock by the Yangtze River in Sichuan then) in the "Wine City" Luzhou near the Yangtze River. In the past, the boatmen by the Yangtze frequently lodged at the dock for night. Once they pulled in, they began to make a fire for dinner and getting warm. Their cooker was just a pot that held some water and vegetables added with flavorings such as hot pepper and pepper for dispelling damp (a saying goes like this: vegetables can serve as food while hot pepper kills cold). When the boatmen finished the "feast", they would gain spirit again. Later, the dish was spread to all piers along the Yangtze River. Some people even began to name the hotpot as "hot potted landscape", "flavor in pot" and "hot happiness". Today Sichuan Hotpots have been increased in category to include the "Red Pot" (Spicy hotpot flavor with beans and lobster sauce being basal materials), the “White Pot” (seafood hotpot flavor with bone broth) and “Double Pot”. Moreover, more and more contents are included in the hotpot, or we may say, we can put almost everything edible into it.