An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal spices used in Chinese hotpot

Chinese cuisine is one of the most famous cuisines of the world. The use of spices and condiments is an indispensable procedure in Chinese culinary culture, especially the hotpot culture. However, there has been no systematic investigation on spices and condiments used in Chinese hotpot so far. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to collect information on spices and condiments used in Chinese hotpot. The results showed that a total of 67 spices were commonly used for the preparation of Chinese hotpot, involving 82 plant species of 50 genera in 26 families. All of these spices are also used medicinally in China yet half of them were not native to China. Plants of Zingiberaceae and Apicaceae are important botanical resource, and fruit parts of a plant are the main source of the production of spices used in Chinese hotpot. ► An ethnobotanical survey on spices used in Chinese hotpot was conducted. ► Crude spice materials and voucher specimens were identified by plant taxonomists. ► The research revealed that 67 spices were commonly used in Chinese hotpot. ► These spices are also medicinally used in China.