In the Shang and Zhou dynasties, only princes and nobles could enjoy hot pot, and in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, hot pot gradually entered people's lives. Different dynasties have different hot pot containers, and the most luxurious and exquisite one is the Qing Dynasty.

As a deep lover of hot pot, Emperor Qianlong once held a "Thousand Banquets", in which more than 1550 hot pots were served and as many as 5,000 people were invited to taste the hot pot. It was a famous hot pot feast in history.

China has a long history of eating hot pot. According to research, the embryonic form of hot pot appeared in the pre-Qin period. At that time, the pots were mainly clay pots and copper pots, which were called "fights".

So far, a bronze ware shaped like a hot pot has been unearthed in the tomb of Liu He, the most complete tomb of martyrs in the Han Dynasty. Then, archaeologists found that there was chestnut residue in this bronze hot pot. This shows that this pot is not a decoration, but a really used pot.

Hotpot culture

Hot pot is not only delicious, but also contains the connotation of food culture, which adds elegance to people's taste. When eating hot pot, men, women, children, relatives and friends sit around the steaming hot pot, holding their arms together and waving their hands. It feels very warm and full of warm and harmonious atmosphere, which is suitable for China traditional culture of family reunion.

In the northeast, when people entertain guests, the dishes in the hot pot are arranged regularly: fly first and then go, with fish on the left and shrimp on the right, and cauliflower scattered around, that is, the meat of birds is placed in front of the hot pot mouth, the meat of animals is placed behind the hot pot, fish on the left and shrimp on the right. Put a little shredded vegetables, just like "the stars hold the moon" to show respect.

In China's famous "Hot Pot Capital". Eating hot pot is also exquisite. The most basic seasonings are generally onion, ginger, garlic and sesame oil, so as to eat the original flavor of hot pot. There are rules for scalding vegetables. Eat ingredients such as hairy belly and duck intestines first. The scalding method is: seven times and eight times, so that the scalded food is the most tender.

To entertain guests or have dinner with friends, a hot pot with beer and white wine can best meet the hot and enthusiastic personality of Chongqing people. Taiwan Province Province usually eats hot pot on Lunar New Year's Eve. There are seven kinds of hot pot materials, namely celery, garlic, onion, leek, fish and meat, which respectively represent "diligence, numeracy, intelligence, popularity, long-term happiness and redundancy".