Hot pot
Hot pot or hotpot (), also known as soup-food or steamboat, is a cooking method that originated in China, prepared with a simmering pot of soup stock at the dining table, containing a variety of Chinese foodstuffs and ingredients. Description. Hot pot is a flavorful broth traditionally served inside a large metal pot. The broth is brought to a boil and left simmering for the duration of the meal. Raw ingredients, such as meat and vegetables, are placed into the simmering broth and thus "cooked". The cooked pieces are dipped into dipping sauces for additional flavor. Hot pot  is considered a main course and is usually served without rice or noodles on the side. Hot pots can be prepared and eaten at home or in a restaurant. Typical hot pot ingredients include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli, sliced potatoes, bean products, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood. Raw ingredients are pre-sliced into thin sections that will cook quickly and consistently in the simmering broth, which is maintained at a gentle boiling temperature. Most raw foods can be cooked in a hot pot, although they may have different cooking times, and must be immersed in the soup  and then removed accordingly. At the conclusion of the meal, the broth has acquired many flavors from the added ingredients, and may be served to the diners after turning off the cooking heat source. History. The tripods of Zhou dynasty may be the earliest prototypes of the hot pot. Diners among the nobility each had a personal pot made of bronze, and called "ran lu" (). The main part of "ran lu" was a small stove with a small pot above burning charcoal. Later, a hot pot made with copper was created during the "Three Kingdoms period" (200–280 AD), which is  generally acknowledged as the origin of the hot pot. During the Qing dynasty, hot pot became popular among the emperors. In particular, the Qianlong Emperor was very fond of hot pot and would eat it for almost every meal. Later, the Jiaqing Emperor also had a banquet with 1,550 hot pots at his coronation. Empress Dowager Cixi was also known to have enjoyed hot pot, especially in the winter months. Since the 1990s, as the number of Chinese immigrants entering the United States has grown significantly, Chinese food has also spread to the United States, and hot pot has also  moved to the forefront of the global culinary scene. Regional variations. Greater China. Mainland China. Chinese hot pots are often divided into "Southern style" and "Northern style", paralleling the cultural regions of China. Although there are wide regional variations, in general, Southern styles tend towards spicy, often fiery broths, many ingredients and complex dipping sauces, while Northern styles are simpler and focus more on the meat, particularly mutton. Modern eateries offer a partitioned pot with differently-flavored broths in each section. More traditional or older establishments often serve a fragrant, mild broth in a large brass vessel heated by burning  coals in a central chimney. The broth is simmered in a deep, donut-shaped bowl surrounding the chimney. Southern styles. One of the most famous Southern variations is the Chongqing hot pot (Chinese: 重庆火锅), which uses "mala" seasoning flavored with chilli peppers and Sichuan pepper for a spicy and numbing flavor. Chongqing hotpots often feature a wide variety of different meats and ingredients, and offer many sauces and condiments to flavor the meat. The typical dipping sauce contains sesame oil and is mixed with crushed fresh garlic and chopped spring onions. Due to the high humidity in the region, local  people eat spicy food to remove the moisture from their bodies. Sichuan also has a number of "dry" hot pots such as mala xiangguo (Chinese: 麻辣香锅), which are similar to "mala" hot pot in ingredients and seasoning, but stir-fry them instead of cooking in broth. In neighbouring Yunnan, although spicy broths are equally popular, there is another predominant type of hot pot that is made with various wild or farmed mushrooms. It is called the Wild Mushroom hot pot (). Due to the vast forests and abundant natural resources in Yunnan, people can find a wide variety of edible mushrooms . The easily accessible and fresh mushroom resources lead to the high popularity of the Wild Mushroom hot pot.The big difference between the mushroom hot pot and the spicy hot pot is that the former omits strong spice and chili, and the latter preserves the original flavor of the mushrooms. The mushroom hot pot is also seasonal, depending on the availability of local mushrooms. A Cantonese variation includes mixing a raw egg with the condiments to reduce the amount of "heat" absorbed by the food, thereby reducing the likelihood of a sore throat after the steamboat meal, according to Chinese  herbalist theories. In Hainan cuisine hot pot is generally served in small woks with a prepared broth containing pieces of meat. At the time of serving, the meat is not fully cooked, and approximately fifteen minutes are required before it is ready to eat. Items supplied to be cooked in this type of hot pot include mushrooms, thinly-shaved beef or goat meat, lettuce, and other green vegetables. This dish varies somewhat in different parts of the province. Coconut milk and juice is commonly added into the hot pot. Northern styles. Instant-boiled mutton () could be viewed as representative of  northern style hot pot, which focus on the main ingredients rather than the soup base. Water is used as the main ingredient of the hotpot instead of the flavored broth. The Manchu hot pot () uses plenty of "suan cai" (Chinese sauerkraut) () to make the broth sour. In Hubei cuisine, hot pot is normally prepared with hot spices and Sichuan pepper. Items supplied to be cooked in this broth include mushrooms, thinly-shaved beef or lamb, lettuce, and various other green vegetables. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, chrysanthemum flowers are cooked in the broth to give it a floral essence. Taiwan . In Taiwanese cuisine, it is very common to eat the food with a dipping sauce consisting of shacha sauce and raw egg yolk. Southeast Asia. Cambodia. In Cambodian cuisine, hot pot is called "yao hon" (យ៉ាវហន), though some regions call it "chhnang pleurng" (ឆ្នាំងភ្លើង), which literally translates to "pot fire". It is usually eaten during celebrations or family gatherings. Just like the Chinese version, Cambodian hot pot consist of similar ingredients although the dish differs in that coconut milk is used as the base of the soup. Another variation of the dish is called "buttered yao hon" or "buttered chhnang  pleurng"; the same ingredients are used but are instead cooked on a flat grill pan where butter is used as the base (this is similar to Korean barbecue). An herb sauce is usually added to "buttered yao hon", since the ingredients are not flavored by immersion in a broth. Philippines. In Philippine cuisine, hotpot is commonly served by Chinese specialty restaurants, and in some all-you-can-eat buffets. The terms "shabu-shabu" and "hotpot" are also used interchangeably for this style of food preparation. In Cebu City, a specialty restaurant offers a "hot pot" that is literally a huge  ceramic pot filled with cooked rice, choice of beef, pork, or chicken slices, special sauce, and choice vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, shallot, ginger, pechay, kangkong leaves, spices, and some slices of hard-boiled eggs on top; it is more similar to "kamameshi" than the namesake. Thailand. In Thai cuisine, hotpot is called "Thai suki", although it is quite different from the Japanese "shabu-shabu" variation called "sukiyaki". Originally a Chinese-style hot pot, the number of ingredients to choose from was greatly increased and a Thai-style dipping sauce with chili sauce, chilli, lime, and coriander leaves was added . Another variation is "mu kratha", the Thai hot pot which originated from Korean barbecue combined with "Thai suki". In the Northeast region, a similar style of cooking called chim chum where thinly sliced meat is cooked in clay pots on charcoal stove is also popular. Tom Yum is a common soup base for Thai hot pot. Vietnam. In Vietnamese cuisine, a hot pot is called "lẩu" or "cù lao". There are many styles of lẩu ranging from seafood "lẩu hải sản", canh chua soup-base ("lẩu canh chua") or salted fish hot pot ("lẩu mắm"). Europe. Switzerland. In Swiss cuisine , a variation of the traditional Chinese hot pot locally called "fondue chinoise" (lit. "Chinese fondue") is a popular Christmas meal. Various types of meat, fish and vegetables are boiled in a shared pot of broth. Various sauces and pickled condiments are provided on the side. After all the diners have finished cooking, they eat the now well-flavored broth often combined with thin noodles.