Hot pot(火锅):
The name of it is somewhat self-explanatory, a “hot”- “pot”: although the name gives you an idea of what you will see when you order this dish, it is much more than that. A general assumption of the origin of hotpot, is mongol warriors who circled around a fire with a pot, in order to eat dinner and keep warm while camping outside. Since then, it has developed as a dish and reached new corners of the globe.
What is hotpot?:
Hotpot is a heated pot where a broth of choice is usually simmering inside. This can range from a vegetable broth to seafood broth to spicy broth. You are given oils, sauces,noodles, vegetables, meats and you get to “design” your meal as you like. You eat this by dipping the ingredients of your choice into the hotpot. You can even create your own dipping sauce. Of course, in different regions and parts of the world, new and different ingredients or techniques may be added. For example, the Korean style hotpot is called Jeongol, originally a dish for upper-class Koreans, where it was made by adding meat, mushroom, seafood, spicy soy paste and seasoning to a stew pot, adding broth, and then ‘boiling’ it.
Hot pot can be a sharing dish. With divisions along the pot, one can try different flavors and tastes with different people and loved ones.
