Hotpot is popular in China today. Did ancient Chinese people have hotpot?
Ancient Chinese people had hotpot as early as Shang Dynasty (16th—11th century BC). At that time, people boiled foods and soups in bronze cauldrons(青铜鼎). The cauldrons had two parts—one was the pot to cook foods in soup. The other part was a layer or a space inside the cauldron to hold fire-wood. But at that time, the cauldron was only for a single person to eat from.
During the Han Dynasty (206 BC— AD 220), people divided a pot into several parts to enjoy different flavors(口味).
During the Tang Dynasty (618—907), having hotpot was popular. When people held family feast(宴席), they would prepare hotpot. People of the Song Dynasty (960—1279) had hotpot to welcome winter.
Huoguo, the Chinese name for hotpot, was mentioned by Yuan Mei, a poet and foodie(美食家) in Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), in a book about all kinds of food. At that time, the hotpot was very popular. People put all kinds of meats and vegetables into pots made of different materials, such as copper(铜) and iron.
Hotpot also became a famous royal dish, called reguo (热锅). It's said that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty loved hotpot so much that he had it for almost every meal. He once held a big hotpot feast, inviting more than 5,000 people to enjoy about 1,550 hotpots.
