Hot Pot

Huo Guo ( Chinese : 火锅; pinyin : huoguo) is the Chinese name for "hot pot", where huo means "fire", while guo refers to "pot'.

It consists of a simmering pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table.

Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat , leafy vegetables , mushrooms , wontons , egg dumplings , and seafood . The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce . In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten in the winter .

Chinese Fondue is an English term used more commonly in Western countries.

It spread from the North to the south during the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906). Later, the northern nomads who settled in China enhanced the hot pot with such meat as beef and mutton, and southerners did the same with seafood. By the Qing Dynasty , the hot pot became popular throughout most of China.

Today, in many modern homes particularly in the big cities, the traditional coal heated steamboat or hot pot has been replaced with electric or gas versions.