Beijing Hot Pot

When travelling to other countries one of the many highlights of every trip are usually the culinary delights of the region. People who travel to Beijing often want to try the famous Beijing Roast Duck and there is a huge choice of restaurants offering exactly that. The other thing you don't want to miss is Chinese Hot Pot (huoguo, literally fire pot), a very popular restaurant experience for locals and tourists just the same. Having dinner together is a great way to spend a relaxing evening after exciting daytime activities, such as Beijing Tours, trips to museums and other interesting things. And having dinner in a Hot Pot restaurant are social gatherings rather than simple and quiet dinners and the food is often spicy and full of flavors. Hot Pot is often eaten in winter but restaurants are in general well frequented all year around. It has a history of over one thousand years in China and the name describes the way the food is prepared. Different kinds of food are cooked in a broth which is kept simmering in a heated brass vessel on the table. The more original pots have a little chimney in the middle and are heated with hot coals whereas the more modern way is often heated with gas or can even be electric. There are two different main styles, Mongolian style und Sichuan style. While Sichuan tends to be very spicy the Mongolian variation uses broths mainly based on vegetables and seafood and is therefore the milder version. There is a very large choice of ingredients that can be used for this dish. Most common are different kinds of thinly sliced meat, often it's mutton meat but also beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat and others can be ordered. Apart from meat slices you can have fish and seafood, small meat or fish balls and dumplings, different kinds of vegetables, such as mushrooms, lettuce, cabbage and other leafy greens, and also tofu, noodles or rice noodles. Cooking time can vary from less than a minute to several minutes and while you're waiting you can try some little snacks and appetizers. Once the food is cooked to your taste it is dipped into different kinds of sauces, sesame sauce is a very common one. In restaurants you can either have a big hot pot to share with all people at the table. Very often the big vessels have different sections with some milder and some spicier broths. Or you can order smaller individual ones so that everybody can choose their own broth. This is a great option for people who are allergic to certain foods or for vegetarians because all food can be kept separate. You just have to make sure that the broth doesn't contain anything you can't or don't want to eat. There is a countless number of Hot Pot restaurants not only in Beijing but also in other cities. Apart from the different flavors the interior of the restaurant and the price categories can also vary a lot. So if you have the time why don't you try a few restaurants in different regions on your China Tours to find your favorite hot pot place? from China Travel Blog http://blog.chinatraveldepot.com

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