· Blog · 11 min read
Exploring Sichuan: The Culture and Origins of Mala Hot Pot
If a Sichuanese doesn't eat spicy food, he is often criticized as a fake Sichuanese! I used to agree with this, but now, if someone tells me, "Your Sichuan taste is only spicy," he may be a fake Sichuanese!
Eat in China, taste in Sichuan.
"Love flavor, love spicy fragrance" has been the dietary tradition of Sichuan people since ancient times. For a long time, pepper, ginger, garlic, cornel, and vine were the main spicy seasonings in Sichuan.
Pepper entered Sichuan as a foreign object, along with immigrants from Huguang, during the early Qing Dynasty. Soon, Sichuan cuisine absorbed pepper and combined it with the local spicy seasoning pepper to form the most distinctive and influential flavor of Sichuan cuisine: spicy flavor.
Although Sichuan cuisine is known for its spicy flavor, dish preparation is still based on the highest principle of "harmony of five flavors." Sour, sweet, bitter, tangy, and pungent, famous chefs and folk families from all over the country combine the five flavors with changes and matching, forming the "Sichuan flavor" of hundreds of dishes and hundreds of flavors, greatly enriching the flavor of Chinese cooking.
Hotpots can be said to be the "best disseminator" of spicy Sichuan flavor! Spicy Space, which has been focusing on Sichuan-style clear oil hotpots for 27 years, starts with the original flavor of the ingredients and creates a flavor characteristic of the combination of five flavors: spicy, hot, fresh, and spicy.
The warmth of spicy and spicy, the perfect combination of fragrance and freshness, make every spicy space clear oil hotpot you eat a decadent taste experience.
Chengdu is a city that cannot be missed; it is spicy and cute
Chengdu, the hometown of Sichuan cuisine in the land of abundance, is filled with the aroma of peppers and hotpot, the slow-paced city full of faint tea fragrance. In that ancient cultural capital with a history of more than 3,000 years, the autumn there tastes just right.
First, let's discuss transportation. Getting to Chengdu from significant cities by plane or train is very convenient. Taxis are not expensive in the city, and the subway is also very convenient. Taking a bus in Chengdu only costs two yuan for the whole journey, and you can transfer once, which is also very convenient.
Every city has an alley that is bustling and full of joy. It is also the faint smell of fireworks in every city. This alley in Chengdu is called Jinli. In the group, you could sit in a teahouse, make a covered tea bowl, and watch these people and their lives. Legend has it that Jinli is one of the oldest and most commercial streets in the history of Western Shu, and it was famous throughout the country during the Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms. Snacks on both sides of this alley in Jinli include the renowned pineapple rice, three cannons, glutinous rice balls, etc.
For those Jinli rebuilt in the past few years, I still like the original and ancient Kuanzhai Alley a little more. Kuanzhai Alley was initially built as a few alleys during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. It is said that after Emperor Kangxi quelled the rebellion of Junggar, he built an entire city in Chengdu. The current Kuan Alley is called Xinren Activity, the Narrow Alley is called Taiping Alley then, and the Well Alley is called Ruyi Alley. From this, we can see that there is not only Kuanxiang and Zhaixiang here but also Jingxiangzi. It is full of blue bricks and black tiles, long and quiet, and still retains the old style of Chengdu hundreds of years ago. This is also a nostalgic area in old Chengdu. Most of the buildings here are old buildings from the late Qing Dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China, and churches leave some Western buildings. Speaking of "leisure," the representative of old Chengdu is Kuanxiangzi. And Zhaixiangzi is a long alley filled with petty bourgeoisie. Here, the courtyards of the old neighborhood are used to put those bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and art galleries together, where passengers can rest. The "slowness" of Chengdu life is fully displayed here. Let's talk about Jingxiangzi at the end. This is the reproduction of a healthy life in the old city of Chengdu. But why is it called Jingxiangzi? Because Jingxiangzi stands up like a well, it is an alley when it is flat. There is thick green moss on the blue bricks in Jingxiangzi.
When I went to Chengdu, in this cold season, the most refreshing thing was to eat a hearty hot pot. So we chose the best beef hot pot restaurant in Chengdu. This is a new store, and its old one is close to here but very popular, so we had to open a new one. The name of this hot pot restaurant is Love Wife Steak Hot Pot because the boss's wife loves steak hot pot, but after getting pregnant, she was worried that the hot pot restaurants outside were not clean, so she gave up this hobby. The boss loves his wife very much, so he went to learn from his master and opened this steak hot pot. However, no matter how beautiful the story is, taste is still the main thing in food, so as a hot pot restaurant, deliciousness is the key. The steak in this restaurant is very tender, but it is very chewy and tastes very solid. As a representative dish in hot pot, luncheon meat is also different. His hot pot luncheon meat is customized by himself, unlike other places. After eating hot pot, it's time to go to where you live. There is a homestay building on Chunxi Road. It is a high-rise single apartment. The commercial center is outside the window. The supporting facilities are complete, and the geographical location is perfect. It is very convenient to go anywhere.
Speaking of Chengdu, we have to talk about giant pandas. Chengdu's giant panda base is in the northern suburbs. Many rare animals are here, such as giant pandas, red pandas, black-necked cranes, peacocks, etc. Compared with other panda bases, Chengdu's panda base is very close to the city and has the most significant pandas. You can also see newly born red panda babies. This place covers a vast area. Walking will take more than three hours, but you can also take a sightseeing bus. There are many Internet celebrity pandas in the panda base, such as the spoiled little princess who has become popular on Facebook and hugged the keeper tightly. Tourists can watch them interact with the administrator here.
Although Chengdu is a big city, it has the comfort and leisure of a small town. As Zhao Lei sang in the song, this feeling is subtle for everyone who likes to travel, but it is just right.
