Chongqing Hotpot

Hotpot is the most famous and favorite dish in Chongqing. Chongqing local people consider the hotpot a local specialty, which is noted for its peppery and hot taste, scalding yet fresh and tender. Nowadays, as a matter of fact, Chongqing hotpot is famous and popular all over the country.
Chongqing hotpot was first eaten by poor boatmen of the Yangtze River in Chongqing area and then spread westwards to the rest of Sichuan Province. Now it is a very popular local flavor and can be found at every corner of the city.

People gather around a small pot filled with flavorful and nutritious soup base. The pot may be boiled by various means, such as charcoal, electric or gas. You have a choice of spicy, pure or combo for the soup. There are a great variety of hotpots, including Yuanyang (Double Tastes) hotpot, four tastes hotpot, fish head hotpot, tonic hotpot, entire sheep hotpot, etc. Chongqing hotpot is characterized by its spiciness, but to suit customers of different preference, salty, sweet or sour flavors of hotpot are available. As long as you can stand the spiciness, you are advised to try the spiciest one to ensure an authentic experience.

Thin sliced raw variety meat, fish, various bean curd products and all kinds of vegetables are the main ingredients for this cuisine. All of these are boiled in the soup, and then you can dip them in a little bowl of special sauce.

Chongqing people love their hotpot, especially when the weather is steamy. The fire dances under the pot, the heavily oiled and spiced soup boils with hazy steam, and the people are bathed in sweat. Chongqing hotpot can be found wherever there are street vendors or small restaurants, it has the greatest variety and is known for its delicious soup base and dipping sauce. Tasting this traditional dish will be the first choice of tourists who come here.

Yuanyang hotpot is characterized by its unique flavor. In fact, Yuanyang hotpot is a mixture of the hot soup of traditional cattle-gut hotpot and the bree of mum hotpot. Thus it is honored Sichuan Innovative Hotpot. The pot is divided into two parts by a copper slice in the middle. One side is the container of hot soup, the other side is bree. The option of hotpot's materials is decided at your will.

The other famous local food is hot and spicy Ma La Tang, which is similar to hotpot in some way. Literally, "ma" means numbness in the mouth, "la" is chili hot and "tang" means piping hot. Ma La Tang, with various raw ingredients cooked in a communal pot of steaming stock blended with spices, originated in Sichuan's largest city, Chongqing. The double-sided soup pot, placed on a central table burner, is the focal point of the meal. Ingredients include fresh sliced abalone, sea cucumber, hog tendon, Beijing cabbage and beef dumpling, prawns; carp fish fillet, bean curd, chicken fillet and vegetables. The excellent dipping mixture of sesame oil, chili sauce, peanut sauce, chopped chilies and garlic combine to make magic. Savory tidbits are appetizingly tasty -- egg coated glutinous square, crispy spring roll, fried buns, eight treasure black rice and water chestnut jelly. Diners cook their food right at the table in steaming Ma La Tang, a savory broth blended with the spices found in abundance in Sichuan.

                                         重庆火锅

火锅是重庆最为有名、也最受欢迎的一道菜。重庆人都把火锅当做本地的招牌菜，同时重庆火锅也因其麻辣的味道和又鲜又嫩的口感而闻名于世。如今，重庆火锅不仅名声远播，而且在世界各地都很受欢迎。

众人齐聚在小锅旁边，锅里盛满了既美味又营养的锅底。小锅可以用多种方式来煮，比如木炭，电和天然气等。而且锅底你还可以自由选择辣的、不辣的或者鸳鸯锅。火锅也分为很多种，比如：鸳鸯锅，四味火锅，鱼头火锅，滋补火锅，全羊火锅等等。重庆火锅的典型特点是麻辣，不过为了适应顾客的不同口味，咸的、甜的、酸的也都有。只要你能够吃辣，我们建议你还是去吃一下最辣的火锅，这样才能身临其境地感受其中的美味。

切的又细又长的肉片，鱼还有各种各样的豆制品和蔬菜是烹饪火锅的主要材料。把它们放在锅里煮一下，然后再放到盛有酱汁的碗里蘸一下再吃。

重庆人特别喜爱吃火锅，特别是在天气比较湿冷的时候。锅底飞舞的火苗，又油又辣的底料，还有朦胧的热气，所有人都吃得大汗淋漓。重庆火锅到处可见，不论是大排档还是小餐馆。不仅种类繁多，而且因其美味的锅底和调味酱汁而闻名于世。品尝这一传统美味是所有游客来这的第一选择。

鸳鸯锅以其独特的味道为特点。实际上，鸳鸯锅不过是由传统牛杂锅和清汤锅组合而成的。因此它也是四川火锅创新的典范。火锅被中间的一个铜片分成两部分，一边用来装火锅底料，另一边则是用来装清汤。火锅的材料你可以根据自己的喜好来选择。

另一样很有名的食物是又辣又烫的麻辣烫， 在很大程度上，与火锅很相似。从字面意思来看，麻就是嘴里感觉很麻木的意思，辣就是辣椒的辣味，而烫就是很烫的意思。麻辣烫，就是把各种各样生的材料放在滚烫的汤锅里烫着吃。它主要源于四川最大的城市重庆。放在饭桌中央炉子上面的双面锅是餐桌上的焦点。主要的烹饪材料有：新鲜的鲍鱼片，海参，猪腱，北京大白菜，牛肉饺，对虾，鱼排，鸡排和蔬菜。由香油，辣椒油，花生酱，辣椒酱和蒜蓉调成的酱汁可以称得上是世间美味。其他的一些小吃也很美味：蛋卷，酥脆的春卷，炸馒头，八宝粥和荸荠果冻。食客们在桌边可以用麻辣烫直接把食物烫熟，麻辣烫的汤是用很多调味料调配的，并且这些调味料在四川本地也比较多。