Maocai originally originated in the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. In the Western Han Dynasty, due to the large-scale mining and use of well salt, the Sichuan people's eating habits of "valuing flavor and liking spicy food" have initially formed.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to various diseases that appeared in the army during successive battles, soldiers lost their appetite. In order to prevent the spread of diseases in the army and achieve good results, military doctors ordered the cooks to often add some traditional Chinese medicine to the meals, which could prevent and cure diseases.

, and can produce fragrance and achieve the purpose of seasoning; therefore, most of these medicines are seasoned and used as marinade.

Later, after the cook's improvement, he blanched various vegetables and found that they tasted better than before and were more popular among military officers.

This method was widely spread in the army. Because the amount of food in the army was relatively large, they often cooked soup with spices and scalded the food, which was called "maocai" in ancient times.

Notes on expanded information - Maocai is a Chengdu specialty. "Maocai" is also a verb, which means to put the fresh ingredients into the soup pot prepared in advance and lift it up and down several times until the "maocai" is cooked.

Different from Malatang, the optional ingredients in Maocai are not threaded on bamboo skewers for customers to choose. Instead, like hot pot ingredients, they are cut into small pieces or slices and laid out for customers to order according to their preferences.

The cooked ingredients are taken out together and poured into the prepared ingredient bowl to accompany the meal.