Hotpot etiquette: how to eat together at the table

Hotpot is more than a meal. The pot sits in the middle of the table, and everyone cooks, shares, and eats at the same time. Precisely because of this, hotpot has its own way of eating.

There are no complicated rules, but a few customs make the experience much more enjoyable for everyone at the table. From who puts the first ingredients in the pot to the use of cooking chopsticks: these are the most important things to know about hotpot etiquette.

1. The pot belongs to everyone

With hotpot, no one has their own plate with a fully prepared meal. Everything is cooked together at the table.

Therefore, it is customary to share ingredients and consider what others like to eat.

Do you see that someone likes a particular ingredient? Then it is hospitable to put some of it in the pot or save it for that person.

2. Let your guest choose first

Are you eating hotpot with friends or family and are you the one organizing the meal? Then it is polite to let guests choose what they want in the pot first.

In many Chinese dining cultures, hospitality plays an important role. Offering someone something or retrieving it from the pot for someone is a simple way to show that hospitality.

You don't have to be formal about it, by the way. A simple: "Would you like this?" is enough.

3. Use cooking utensils for the communal pot

A practical and hygienic custom is to use separate cooking utensils for the ingredients in the communal pot.

Think of:

• cooking chopsticks
• a hotpot ladle
• a small sieve
• a skimmer

Then use your own eating chopsticks to eat the food.

This keeps things pleasant and clear for everyone.

4. Cook ingredients at the right time

Not everything has the same cooking time.

Dumplings, chicken, and some vegetables take longer, while thinly sliced beef, leafy greens, and shrimp are often cooked quickly.

Therefore, start with ingredients that take longer and add quick ingredients later.

This prevents one half of the table from still waiting for food while the other half has already eaten everything.

5. Don't fill the pot completely right away

A common mistake on a first hotpot evening: throwing all the ingredients into the broth at once.

That might look cozy, but it actually makes it harder to determine when everything is cooked.

Moreover, the temperature of the broth can drop significantly.

Therefore, it's better to cook small quantities at a time. This keeps the broth hot and the meal manageable.

6. Make your own dipping sauce

One of the most enjoyable parts of hotpot is that you don't all have to eat the same sauce.

Put different ingredients on the table and let everyone compose their own dipping sauce.

For example, one person might choose a fresh sauce with lime and soy sauce, while another prefers a creamy sesame sauce or something spicy.

There is no right or wrong combination.

7. Be mindful of the shared broth

Not everyone at the table has the same taste.

For example, are you a fan of extra chili? Then it's better to add it to your own dipping sauce than to make an entire pot spicy.

If you have a hotpot with two compartments, you can, of course, serve different broths simultaneously.

This is especially useful when some guests love spicy food and others prefer a mild broth.

8. Take your time

Perhaps the most important rule of all: don't rush.

Hotpot is meant to be eaten slowly.

You cook a few ingredients, eat them, chat in between, and then add something new.

Because of this, a hotpot meal feels very different from a dinner where everyone gets their plate and finishes in twenty minutes.

The food is part of the conversation and togetherness.

9. Adapt to the group

Hotpot is often eaten with multiple people, and everyone has their own preferences.

One person likes to eat meat, the other mostly vegetables. Some people like extremely spicy and others not at all.

Precisely because everyone cooks their own ingredients, there's no need to make a problem of it.

Give each other the space to assemble the meal in their own way.

10. Hotpot is about hospitality

Hotpot is originally strongly linked to communal eating and togetherness. The pot in the middle of the table ensures that everyone literally sits around the same dish.

Therefore, etiquette ultimately is less about strict rules and more about hospitality and consideration for each other.

Offer someone something, help another person prepare an ingredient, and make sure everyone at the table can eat along.

That perhaps best fits the idea behind hotpot.