malatang

Malatang () is a Sichuan street food in which skewered or self-selected meats, vegetables, and noodles simmer briefly in a numbing broth seasoned with Sichuan pepper and dried chili. The dish developed among boat trackers along the Yangtze River near Sichuan, where workers cooked herbs with peppercorns and ginger to counter the damp climate.

Street vendors adapted the communal pot for urban stalls, and by the mid-2010s malatang shops across northern China invited customers to assemble bowls that are priced by weight after a quick boil. International chains later introduced the format to markets such as Australia, while public health discussions in China highlight both the variety of nutrients diners can combine and regulatory crackdowns on illicit additives.