Old-fashioned single-person hot pot stove

Old-fashioned single-person hot pot

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- You may have eaten a lot of Chongqing old-fashioned hot pot, but do you know that did people in the past enjoy the old-fashioned hot pot like we do now? What does the original hot pot like? Recently, a hot pot restaurant near Hongyadong, Yuzhong District launched an old-fashioned single-person hot pot which was called as the popular form of Chongqing people eating hot pot during the period of the Republic of China, arousing a discussion among diners. The reporter of Chongqing Evening News collected some rumors about hot pot. For example, there was no cattle stomach when hot pot first appeared, nine-grid hot pot originally had eight grids... Let’s explore whether these rumors are true or false with experts on Chongqing literature, history and food.

Was it popular to enjoy hotpot alone?

Yes, it was popular in the surrounding areas of Chengdu

On the rusty coal stove, there was a small iron pot with a size of a bowl. On the bright red coals, the butter spicy soup was boiling gently with white steam. Sitting alone in front of the pot, citizen Mr. Liu put down a piece of cattle stomach into the pot with great interest; and after 20 seconds, he picked up it and ate with relish.

Mr. Liu is an early adopter of “single-person hot pot”, a new hot pot form near Hongyadong. He Zhengqin, the person in charge of the hot pot restaurant, said that he found on the Internet that single-person hot pot was popular in the period of the Republic of China, and some persons even found out old photos. So, he changed the restaurant to the style of the period of the Republic of China according to these photos, and found old stoves and small iron pots.

Was it popular to enjoy hotpot alone? The reporter asked a number of experts on Chongqing literature and history for verification. “There was such a form, but it was not mainly popular in Chongqing.” Xiao Nengzhu, a local culture researcher in Chongqing, said single-person hot pot was popular in the surrounding areas of Chengdu. According to some historical records, in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, there were many Banner Persons living here, and their diet was more exquisite, so there was a single-person hot pot similar to instant-boiled mutton.

Xiao Nengzhu recalled that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he had such a single-person hot pot in Guanghan City, Sichuan. At that time, people needed to buy tickets to eat hot pot. There were red, white, green and other tickets in different colors, representing different grades of meat and vegetable ingredients. Unfinished dishes could be refunded as long as they had not been moved. Such a form has also appeared in Chongqing, but it has not been popular and belongs to a minority way of eating.

No cattle stomach in hot pot at first?

No, cattle stomach should be a food ingredient

Cattle stomach is the most popular dish of Chongqing old-fashioned hot pot, but it was once said that there was no cattle stomach in Chongqing hot pot at first. Is that true?

“The origin of hot pot is unknown, and it was not invented overnight.” Li Zhengquan, an expert on Chongqing place names and the author of Random Talks on Chongqing Place Names, said that hot pot actually existed in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties when the rulers cooked the meat with pot and distributed it to everyone. It was the rudiment of hot pot. In ancient times, the army also used big pots to cook, and the so-called “partner” was also an extension of the meaning of eating in the same pot. Even in the countryside, the pot was hung on fire, and people sat around the fire to keep warm while cooking a pot of food, which could also be regarded as the rudiment of hot pot. As for the source of Chongqing hot pot, the most common saying is that the boatmen “mixed” the beef offal and boiled it in a pot.

“Chongqing hot pot should be related to cattle.” Xiao Nengzhu added that there were no cattle in Chongqing. In the early years, the yellow cattle in Chongqing came from Shaanxi by land, while buffalo came from Guizhou, passing through Nanchuan, Banan and Sichuan-Guizhou Ancient Road, and entered Chongqing. It was a long way. When these cattle arrived in Chongqing by hundreds of kilometers of mountain road, there was natural loss of sick cattle and even dead cattle. At that time, when the cattle entered Chongqing, relevant taxes had to be paid. After taxes being paid, sick and dead cattle could not be sold at a good price, so they would be killed in advance, and the beef and beef offal would be sold. While healthy cattle would be sold to farmers as farm cattle, and the beef offal would be boiled in a pot in the simplest way. This was the original Chongqing hot pot.

No matter which way it is said, Chongqing hot pot has a deep connection with cattle and beef offal. Xiao Nengzhu believed that at that time, as an important part of beef offal, cattle stomach was considered to be a hot pot ingredient.

The nine-grid hot pot originally had eight grids?

No, it is difficult and costly to make eight grids

It is said that the original hot pot has not “nine grids” but “eight grids”. Is there any basis? “It was a cross grid at first.” Li Zhengquan said that the original hot pot used a cross block as a partition. Later, it gradually developed into more grids, and finally became the present nine grids. But it seems that the eight wooden grids can only be made into the shape of Chinese character “米 (mi)”. Under the background of underdeveloped productivity in the period of the Republic of China and even in the late Qing Dynasty, such a design was more difficult in production and was relatively higher in cost. Therefore, the operator’s request for carpenters to make eight-grid partition did not meet the cost consideration.

Chen Yu, a well-known food critic in Chongqing, said that in the early years of hot pot, sharing a table was a common situation. For example, several persons ate a pot together, each person only occupied one of the grids, and they ate their own without interfering with each other. But sometimes there were exceptions, because the bottom of the wooden grids was not completely partitioned, and sometimes they could eat the food “smuggled” from other persons’ grids. (Translated by Zhang Ying, Fathom Language Limited)