Hotpot.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
A vocational training academy for the hotpot cuisine opened on Oct. 26 in Chongqing municipality, China.org reported.
The Chongqing Hotpot Academy--co-established by the Chongqing Hotpot Association, the Chongqing Cuisine Association and the Chongqing Modern Vocational Training Academy--is the first professional training organization in the city, according to Xiang Yaojin, dean of the academy.
The school, which is open to group and individual students, will start accepting enrollees in the spring. The short-term training classes it offers will last for three to six months and cost 1,000 yuan ($163) per student.
The curriculum consists of 30 percent theoretical studies and 70 percent practical application.
Class work includes creating garnishes, stir-frying sauces and preparing dressings.
"The academy may help me to realize my dream of becoming a hotpot master," said Chen Xi, a local hotpot enthusiast. He said that he always wanted to start his own hotpot business but would like to master the taste of the cuisine first.
"No one in my family runs a hotpot business. It is hard for me to get in," he said.
Chongqing, which is believed to be where hotpot originated, is known for its spicy hotpot. The China Cuisine Association named the city "Hotpot City" in 2007.
The city has about 50,000 restaurants and more than 2 million people working in the industry. The lack of professionals in the hotpot industry is one of the reasons for the establishment of the academy.
The school has designed a teaching and practice system whereby creativity and innovation are given importance, said Li Dejian, director of the Chongqing Hotpot Association.
Meanwhile, Chongqing is hoping to put hotpot on the State-level Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Li's association has prepared an application for the cuisine's inclusion on the list in a bid to protect the traditional cooking process, skills, utensils and dining style involved in making hotpot.
