Hot Pot

In several countries around the world, hot pot restaurants are particularly popular. This tradition originated in China, but similar venues can also be found in Europe...

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 17/10/2025

Surely lovers of the genre will not find anything new in this article, which is dedicated to those who have not yet had the opportunity to learn about hot pot, a very ancient culinary tradition that is still popular in China and in several other countries. It can be a tasty and pleasant experience for us Europeans, but a few precautions are needed.

Let's start from the beginning: what is a hot pot? It is a large metal pot placed in the center of the table, above a heat source that constantly keeps it warm. Inside the pot there is a broth that boils continuously and this is the most important part of the hot pot. You will soon understand why.

Foto di yukuaikuai

The broth is available in the most imaginative variations: extremely spicy or very delicate, based on meat, fish, vegetables, mushrooms or even flowers. The pot can be divided into numerous “sections” in order to allow diners to enjoy multiple types of broth at the same time. And I highlight the plural form of the word “diners”, which is not used at random. In fact, the hot pot should be consumed strictly in company!

Let us now focus on the second element of the hot pot: the ingredients. Diners have a wildly varied array of ingredients: meat, fish, seafood, mushrooms, vegetables... All strictly raw! The diners themselves have the “task” to cook the ingredients inside the broth, letting them boil more or less depending on their preferences. Once cooked, the ingredients will be extracted from the broth with special ladles and placed on each diner's plate. You can mix the ingredients together or flavor them further with sauces and spices.

Hot pot ingredients are sometimes eaten along with some side dishes such as rice, noodles or dumplings, which have been cooked before. Needless to say, the hot pot offers the chance to vent all your imagination, inventing ever-new combinations of broth, ingredients, condiments and side dishes.

Foto di grsky

At this point, we might wonder why the hot pot is such an important element in Chinese tradition. Does it only have to do with the variety of its ingredients? Obviously not: what has been said above has certainly contributed to the popularity of this tradition, but it is not the only reason. The hot pot hides a far deeper meaning. It is an important social experience. As already mentioned, it is a tradition that must be shared with other people and favors the development of a sense of solidarity and belonging to the group. It creates an ideal atmosphere for a reunion with friends or a family lunch.

But when and where did the hot pot originate? The question of its origin is not clear at all. Some ancient finds would suggest that it is an incredibly ancient tradition, originating from China, probably from the colder northern regions. Only during the 1300s did it also spread to Japan and subsequently to the rest of the world.

Foto di viarami

However, let us not forget that, in order to fully enjoy the hot pot experience, one must pay attention to a few simple precautions. It may seem trivial, but it is less obvious than one might suspect. It is absolutely essential to control the cooking times of the food inside the broth. As everyone knows, ingesting raw meat or fish can pose health risks... But are we sure we know the cooking time needed for each hot pot ingredient? If this information is not explicitly provided, it may be more complicated than you think to understand whether the piece of meat in front of you is fully cooked. That is why one must be very careful when eating from a hot pot, especially when traveling abroad, in order not to turn a really beautiful experience into a bad stomach ache.