Wenshi loves hot pot. Do you know where the source of China spicy hot pot is？ This is the city!

There are two kinds of hot pot in China, one is spicy hot pot and the other is non-spicy hot pot.

Spicy chafing dish, originally called Maodu chafing dish, is a kind of spicy, hemp and salty gravy (in Li Jieren). It originated in Chongqing, also known as red soup hotpot, red oil hotpot, mountain city hotpot and Chongqing hotpot. Therefore, Chongqing has become the only origin and export place of spicy hot pot in China. All the hot pots in China, which call for spicy taste, have their predecessors from Chongqing hot pot, and their sources are all in Chongqing, that is, Chongqing is the source coordinate of spicy hot pot in China.

There are four theories about the origin of spicy hot pot in Sichuan and Chongqing. Besides Chongqing, there are Chengdu, Zigong and Luzhou. However, looking at the four theories, except that Chongqing Yuanyuan theory was supported by a large number of historical materials and reports before the establishment of New China, the latter three theories all appeared after the hot pot in Chongqing, especially after the separation of administrative divisions in Sichuan and Chongqing. So far, the latter three statements still have no historical data to support, and all of them are self-talk.

To this end, this paper conducts some combing and textual research to prove that the source theory of Chongqing is an indisputable fact.

Chengdu native Li Jieren.

Beef omasum hotpot originated in Jiangbei, Chongqing.

The most direct historical data about the birth of beef omasum hotpot (spicy hotpot) in Chongqing is Mr. Li Jieren, a famous writer in modern times and a Chengdu native who once opened Xiaoya restaurant in Chengdu and wrote "Talking about Chinese’s Food, Clothing, Housing and Transportation". He has written twice, and made a detailed textual research on the birth of beef omasum hotpot in Chongqing: once in Sichuan Times in 1947 and once in Local Records in 1948.

In the supplement of Sichuan Times in 1947, Li Jieren wrote under the pen name "Ming Le" that Maodu Hotpot also originated from the working masses (on the second food in Chinese) as follows:

In addition to beggar chicken, there is another special food in Sichuan, which is gradually popular and famous by the working people’s most basic eating method … Why is this food? Beef tripe hotpot is also … People in Chengdu don’t eat beef, nor do people in Chongqing. However, Jiangbei, which is separated from Chongqing by a river, sells a lot of buffalo … Buffalo has a market, and its internal organs should be sold by itself. So besides producers, there are also ordinary working people who imagine that the liver and stomach should be boiled slightly to avoid □□□, and then cut into small pieces and set up stalls for retail sales. The sellers will put a burden on the streets and on the quays. Everyone thinks that a grid of marinade juice is hot and eaten, and eating several pieces counts as several pieces of money, which is delicious, economical and reportedly hygienic. I don’t know how to eat this way, but it was too young. It was not until 23 years of the Republic of China that a small restaurant in Chongqing made it noble. It moved from the shoulder to the table, and the mud stove was still there, but the tin box was replaced by a small pot made of pig iron, and the raw materials of marinade were also on the table …

This statement is slightly different from his later statement in "Talking about Chinese’s Food, Clothing, Housing and Transportation", but the conclusion is the same: the beef omasum hotpot comes from Chongqing.

In September 1948, in the local customs and records, Mr. Li Jieren expressed this in the article "Talking about Chinese’s food, clothing, housing and transportation":

Those who have a hairy belly are also full of beef … And eating buffalo’s hairy belly hot pot originated in Jiangbei, on the other side of Chongqing. At first, it was common for retailers to buy buffalo entrails, wash and boil them, then cut the liver and stomach into small pieces, put a mud stove on the shoulder, and put a partitioned ocean iron basin on the stove, in which a spicy, hemp and salty marinade was boiled. So the friends by the river, at the bridge, who generally sell labor, and beggars who want meat after getting a few articles, etc., gathered around the burden and benefited. Everyone thinks that a pot of marinade is hot and eaten, and it is economical and can increase the heat … It was not until 23 years of the Republic of China that a small restaurant in Chongqing elevated it and moved it from the head to the table. The clay stove is still the same, only the griddle is replaced by a small copper pot, and the marinade is dipped, and the ingredients are also changed by the diners themselves, so as to be clean and suitable for everyone’s taste … Later, it was spread to Chengdu (in 25 years of the Republic of China), and it was gradually refined and gradually improved, but it was better than Chongqing.

Li Jieren said, "Eating beef omasum hotpot from buffalo originated in Jiangbei on the other side of Chongqing", that is, beef omasum hotpot originated in Chongqing. He also said that beef omasum hotpot is "a spicy, hemp and salty gravy", that is, beef omasum hotpot is a spicy gravy hotpot. It is precisely because of the informative research that this article is widely quoted.

A report on hot pot

It was first related to Xiajiang people.

In fact, about 10 years before Mr. Li Jieren, a newspaper that moved to Chongqing introduced the hairy belly hot pot in Chongqing in the summer of 1938 with the article "Hairy belly-the seventh introduction to Chongqing food". Hairy belly is the saying of Xiajiang people, that is, hairy belly hot pot. The article writes:

To be honest, "hairy belly" has become a special food in the local area, with a history of only ten years … This is the "hairy belly" in the belly of cattle, which is taken out and washed, boiled in boiling water, and then cut into thin strips. With a variety of spices, set a hot pot (Xiajiang is called a warm pot). When eating, pick up small strips with chopsticks and put them in the spices in the pot to eat, which is crisp and delicious.

This is the earliest record of Chongqing hot pot in newspapers and periodicals.

And the origin of Chongqing hot pot (beef omasum hotpot) is clearly stated in an article entitled "Origin of beef omasum hotpot" in 1949, which is verified as follows:

Looking for Chongqing flavor in Sichuan Pavilion, I’m afraid it’s the most popular "hairy belly hot pot", and this flavor has become a famous dish in Beijing and Shanghai, and Xiajiang people and Sichuanese have the same hobby.

Although beef omasum hotpot is popular, its history is short. Ten years ago, there was no such name as beef omasum hotpot, and only "eight pieces of water" were sold on the open-air stalls in Jiaochangba …… The so-called "eight pieces of water" means that a pot with eight squares is made of foreign iron, and a small stove is born below it, which has become the prototype of hot pot. Everyone who eats it occupies one square, adding seasoning and scalding beef … At that time, beef, beef heart, beef liver and beef oil residue were paid attention to, and there was no hairy belly. The price is about one copper plate and eight pieces of beef, so it is called "eight pieces of water". While cutting the meat, the stall owner uses the money to calculate the number of dishes eaten by the owner. When paying after eating, it can be clear at a glance as long as you have a look at the money for bookkeeping. Therefore, eating "eight pieces of water" is also called "playing money". Of course, its owners are friends of coolies, hooligans and Jianghu people who are fooling around in Jiaochangba.

Regarding the prevalence of beef omasum hotpot at that time, the article continued:

However, at that time, hairy belly was still not very popular, but the status of customers had been improved to small businessmen and friends in the shops. At the same time, the reputation of "hot pot hairy belly" was gradually growing. At that time, women in Chongqing didn’t eat out very much, and masters with a little status didn’t bother to go to Jiaochangba, a dirty place, but they were tempted by those who advertised its delicious food to secretly order servants to send "hairy belly hot pot" into the mansion to try. As a result, "beef omasum hotpot" gradually took off, and beef omasum shops mushroomed. However, beef omasum shops were still not restaurants set foot in by the upper class. It was not until the rise of the Anti-Japanese War that they gradually became westernized, and many cafes changed to beef omasum shops to meet their customers’ hobbies, and their eating methods were more endless.

In this article, it is mentioned that the embryonic form of beef omasum hotpot is "eight pieces of water". So, is it?

We might as well look at how another article is written. In the summer of 1942, an article called "Eight Pieces of Water" said this:

In the streets and lanes, there is an iron pot on the small stove, which is divided into eight grids, and there is some marinade in it, which is a bit like a hairy belly hot pot. There are three or five people sitting around, each occupying a space, and putting pieces of raw beef slices and pig offal in the plate to eat, commonly known as water eight pieces.

The article said that there are eight grids placed in the iron pot, that is, the grid of Chongqing hot pot was eight grids at the earliest.

In the later development process, people found that the grid placed in the pot (now nine squares) was easier to make, could accommodate more guests, and was more reasonable to boil, so it was widely used and became popular.

Bayi Road in 1946

It is the "base camp" of Chongqing beef omasum hotpot

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in Chongqing, beef omasum hotpot is even more common. Not only has the area expanded, but there have been beef omasum hotpot "one street" or "base camp" such as real estate speculation street, Jiaochangkou, Baoan Road and Linjiang Road, and the variety is very rich.

At this time, besides beef omasum hotpot, pork hotpot, frog hotpot, cuttlefish hotpot, fragrant mushroom hotpot, crucian carp hotpot, raw fish hotpot, assorted hotpot, chrysanthemum hotpot and mutton hotpot (instant-boiled mutton) also appeared, and many stores published different advertisements in newspapers and magazines, such as Hangong hotpot, Xuangong hotpot, Siwuliu hotpot, Nozzle Cup hotpot and hotpot without getting drunk.

In the winter of 1946, an article entitled "Hot Pot Hairy Belly" introduced the situation and scene of people scalding hairy bellies in Chongqing, and also introduced the most concentrated "base camp" of hairy bellies in Chongqing-Baoan Road (now Bayi Road in Yuzhong District):

Baoan Road is the "base camp" of the "hot pot hairy belly" industry. It is estimated that there are more than 60 households in the city with good business, and they can sell more than 300,000 yuan every day. The boss’s profit and the teacher’s account are also considerable. Small dishes and chicken blood are just a small dish, and they have to sell for 200 yuan, with tips. These are all the income of the guys. No wonder western restaurants are also selling.

……

The most interesting thing is that Xinhua Daily, which was in Chongqing at that time, also noticed the popularity of beef omasum hot pot in Chongqing. In 1946, it introduced several special diets in Chongqing with the title of "Several Small Diet for the Common People", among which beef omasum hot pot was introduced:

This is the most popular seasonal dish in Chongqing at present, which is not only available in Sichuan-style snack shops, but also in many big food restaurants to attract customers. The hot pot is very hot, and the seasoning is very strong and spicy. In addition to hairy belly, raw slices include meat slices, liver slices, kidney flowers, spinal cord, etc., all of which are 100 yuan a plate. They are cooked and eaten now, and they are good for drinking and eating. Restaurants in Linjiang Road and Zhonghua Road are the best sellers.

Because the Chongqing beef omasum hot pot during the Anti-Japanese War left a deep impression on Xiajiang people, even when they arrived in Taiwan Province, their heavy memories were still lingering.

In 1960, the first batch of two famous recipes of Sichuan cuisine were published after the founding of New China, namely "China Famous Cookbook" (the seventh series of Sichuan cuisine) compiled by the Domestic Trade Bureau and "Chongqing Famous Cookbook" published by Chongqing People’s Publishing House. Both books have a recipe for hairy belly hot pot.

"China Famous Cookbook" selects Chongqing Yunlong Garden Hot Pot, while "Chongqing Famous Cookbook" selects Chongqing Qiaotou Hot Pot. Yunlong Garden beef omasum hotpot can be selected in China Famous Cookbook, indicating that the hotpot representing Sichuan at that time was Chongqing beef omasum hotpot.

Zaifangjie Huimin brothers

Opened the "No.1" hotpot restaurant in Chongqing

Mr. Wei Zhongyun, a famous expert in literature and history in Chongqing, not only verified the origin of Maodu hotpot, but also mentioned "Shuibakuai" as the embryonic form of Maodu hotpot for the first time.

He wrote it according to the letters and exchanges provided by Mr. Chen Shujing.

Mr. Chen was the founder of Chongqing Dairy Farm, which was established in May 1931. He was very familiar with the slaughter industry in Chongqing at that time, and his letters and exchanges were all what he saw and heard. I once had the honor to see his letter to Mr. Wei Zhongyun, referring to some situations of Chuandaoguai Slaughterhouse.

According to Mr. Wei Zhongyun, the article "Exploring the Origin of Maodu Hotpot" was published in 1988 and was collected in the book "Chongqing Scenic Spots and Customs" published in 1994. The article wrote:

After visiting the old neighborhood, it is said by the old people that the hairy belly hot pot originated from the "eight pieces of water" on the cheap and affordable street food stalls in Chongqing pier and street. Eight pieces of water are all beef offal (beef tripe, loin slices and beef blood), which are sliced raw and placed in eight dishes with different dishes. The gravy of spicy butter is boiled in the casserole on the mud stove of the food stall, and the eater brings his own wine and chooses a grid. Before standing in the stall, he picks up the raw slices from the dish and eats them very hot. After eating, it is priced according to the empty plate. It is cheap, economical and convenient to eat, so it is very popular among wharf lifers, peddlers and urban poor. As for the pure and authentic beef omasum hotpot, according to the memories of the old people, it appeared around 15 years of the Republic of China, and its birthplace was not Jiangbei, but Zaifang Street in Jimen, the lower half of the city (the current street name is still Xiazaifang Street, under the Yangtze River Bridge). In those days, beef was in great supply. Cattle dealers rushed beef (buffalo) from Sichuan-Guizhou Road to Chongqing. They spent the night in the cattle barn on the south bank the first day, crossed the river from Huangge Ferry the next morning and rushed to Zhafang Street for slaughter. Most of the slaughter houses are run by Hui people, and only beef tripe and beef blood are not easy to sell. Some brothers, Ma Shi, bought beef tripe and blood curd of scalding stoves in various slaughter houses at a low price, and opened a red soup beef tripe hotpot restaurant at the street corner of Xiazaifang, with beef tripe as the main dish and imitating the production and eating method of "eight pieces of water" in the market. Bleaching and cleaning the hairy belly, removing the special leaves of the stem, and adding a dish of seasoning just sesame sauce and garlic paste. It is said that this is the origin and name of beef omasum hotpot.

This article not only talks about "Shuibakuai", but also introduces Ma Brothers, the "first hot pot restaurant" in Chongqing. In addition, "a restaurant in Shangchang Street" mentioned by Mr. Li Jieren is the first hot pot restaurant in Chongqing, so there are many opinions about the first hot pot restaurant in Chongqing. As for who is the real first one, it needs further research.

The above shows that during the Republic of China and after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a large number of historical materials, archives and textual research proved the past lives and cultural code of Chongqing beef omasum hotpot from the aspects of origin, form, characteristics, ingredients, varieties and font size.

Text/Lin Wenyu The author is an honorary consultant of Chongqing Food Culture Research Association. The copyright of this manuscript belongs to chongqing morning post.

Editor: Zhu Yangxia

Editor: Chen Taiyong

Audit: Wan Peng