Chengdu Hot Pot (火锅, Huǒguō)

Hot pot in Chengdu is not a dish, it's a three-hour social event conducted over a cauldron of red oil. A pot of beef tallow loaded with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and a dozen other spices comes to a boil at your table, and you cook raw ingredients in it yourself, timing each item — tripe for seven seconds, potato for five minutes — while everyone talks over each other.

The sensation is mala (麻辣, málà): là is the chili burn, má is the lip-buzzing numbness from Sichuan pepper that feels like a mild electrical current. Even seasoned spice eaters find the numbness disorienting the first time. It's not aggression for its own sake — the numbing quality actually blunts the heat, which is why locals eat this in volume.

Where to go depends on your appetite for adventure. The chains — Xiaolongkan (小龙坎), Shu Da Xia (蜀大侠), Dianping-famous Xiaolong Fandian — have picture menus, English-ish staff and predictable quality at ¥100–130 ($14–18) a head. For the real thing, walk into a scruffy place in Yulin (玉林) or off Jianshe Road (建设路) that's full of locals at 21:00, point at what neighbouring tables are eating, and pay ¥60–80 ($8–11).

Two honest warnings. First, the oil is often "old oil" recycled at traditional places — legal for certain licensed operators in Sichuan, and part of the flavour, but not for everyone. Second, gastric consequences the next morning are common for first-timers. Drink the free cold soy milk or plum juice (酸梅汤, suānméitāng) alongside; it helps more than water.