The legend of shabu-shabu originated in the Yuan Dynasty. When Yuan Shizuizu Kublai was in command of his army, he traveled south on an expedition. One day, when he was tired and hungry, he remembered his hometown dish, lamb stew, and instructed his men to kill the lamb and make a fire. Just when the cooks slaughter sheep cut meat, scout horse galloped into the tent to report the enemy approaching. Hungry Kublai was waiting to eat mutton, he ordered the troops to pull out one side shouted: "mutton! Mutton!" Cooks know that he is irritable, so in a hurry, the knife cut down more than ten slices of thin meat, put in boiling water and stirred a few times, to be a change in meat color, immediately fished into the bowl, sprinkle fine salt. Kublai even ate a few bowls turned on his horse to meet the enemy, the results of the flag victory.

When organizing the celebration of the banquet, Kublai especially ordered the mutton slices. The chef chose the sheep tender meat, cut into thin slices, and then with a variety of spices, the generals eat after the praise. Chef busy welcome forward, said: "this dish has no name, please handsome master give name." Kublai laughed and replied, "I'll call it 'Shabu Shabu'!" From then on, "shabu-shabu" became a palace delicacy.

There is also a theory that shabu-shabu, also known as "mutton hot pot," began in the early Qing Dynasty. In the 18th century, the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors held several large-scale "feasts for thousands of old men," in which lamb hot pot was served. Later spread to the market, operated by the mosque. The old capital of a hundred words" cloud: "mutton pot, for the cold years when the most common delicacy, to be eaten in the mutton museum. These eating methods, is the northern nomadic heritage to study and evolve, and become a special flavor."

It is said that it wasn't until the Guangxu period that the old boss of Beijing's Donglaishun Mutton Restaurant bribed eunuchs to steal the recipe for "shabu-shabu" from the palace, which led to the spread of this delicacy to the public, where it could be sold in the city's famous restaurants

The food was then made available to the general public. for the common people