The word "Mala Tang" comes from Sichuan, while "Chain Fast Food Mala Tang" belongs to the Northeast.

Now the two have been completely separated. "Leshan Malatang" is completely different from the "fast food Malatang" we usually eat.

①The initial appearance of "Malatang"

Let's talk about the etymology of Malatang first. The three words Malatang come from the 6 specialties of authentic Sichuan hot pot.

Ma. hot. hot. crisp. fresh. fragrant.

Mala Tang is an authentic Sichuan product and a derivative of hot pot. Generally speaking, "Mala Tang" is believed to have originated from Niuhua Town, Leshan, Sichuan. Leshan is 200 kilometers away from Chengdu. The city is famous for its popular delicacies such as stilts beef, Leshan barbecue, Xiba tofu, Bobo chicken, and sweet-skinned duck. It has always been a gourmet town.

Hot pot has always been a famous food in Sichuan Province. After the reform and opening up, the representative of low-price hot pot in Sichuan Province is three for one, which means 3 pieces of meat dishes and 1 piece of vegetarian dishes.

Hot pot is originally a food that is close to the people.

In the 1980s, the private economy blossomed, and Leshan also gave birth to the Malatang product. The owner of "Leshan Niuhua Bapo Malatang" in Tongue 3 opened it in 1988, and he learned to open it by watching others open it. The earliest street Malatang was very simple, just a stall. If you want to change money, set up a stall first.

The original appearance of Malatang is the picture above. Thread the hot pot ingredients with a skewer and take as much as you want. The boss will cook it for you and take it out directly. The song about eating Malatang at that time was like this: "In the 1980s, there was a street station, hot skewers at the foot of the electric pole, a casserole with a few dishes, and a dry plate for everyone to dip."

② Malatang, From Leshan to Chengdu

Because the taste is very flexible and the consumption is not high, the Malatang on skewers is really delicious. Leshan is not far from Chengdu, and many Leshan people go directly to Chengdu to make Malatang, so Malatang became very popular in Chengdu. (I asked a lot of people from Leshan and a lot of people from Chengdu. Most of the answers were that they came to Leshan first and then to Chengdu. Corrections are welcome)

The hand-held skewers look like this, and they are also sold at stalls.

But in Chengdu, Malatang is a new vocabulary. The three words "Ma, Spicy, Hot" are used to describe hot pot, and there is a lack of recognition. So when we arrived in Chengdu, Malatang changed its name to "Chuanchuan". The name Chuanchuan is very Chengdu-flavored, because Chengdu people like to talk and repeat words, and the pronunciation of the word is "chuanchuaner".

However, the Chuanchuan at that time was called "handheld Chuanchuan". The meaning of "handheld Chuanchuan" was that the boss had to carry the pot when going out. In fact, it was also a stall, and the model was the same as in Leshan.

This business is indeed very vital. People are no longer satisfied with eating skewers on the street. Some owners have begun to open skewers shops. Chuanchuan is no longer portable. The owner of this kind of Chuanchuan shop named it "Chuanchuan Xiang". In 1995, the first Yulin Chuan Chuan Xiang opened on Yulin Road in Wuhou District. In 1996, Yuan Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang also opened a store.

When you open the store, Chengdu Chuanchuan basically looks like this.

After 2000, the word Malatang has spread all over the country, but the word Malatang has never been seen in Chengdu. Therefore, Li Boqing, a Sanda comedian from Chengdu, once said, "What kind of Malatang is there in Chengdu?"

At that time, most of the people on the streets of Chengdu could only see Yulin and Yuanji's Chuan Chuan Xiang. The bottom of the red pot was free of charge. An economical meal.

Leshan Malatang

But "Leshan Malatang" is also growing on its own, and has also opened from the streets to stores. This picture is a typical Leshan Malatang. To be honest, there is not much difference from Chengdu Chuanchuan Xiang. They are all hot pot flavors, and they all use "clear oil" as the main ingredient. There is no difference between dry dishes and oil dishes.

The actual difference that can be perceived is that Chengdu uses a "hot pot pot" while Leshan uses a "hot pot jar". The design of the Leshan jar is actually more reasonable, it is easier to heat, and the sign head will not be immersed in the soup.

③Out of Sichuan Malatang

I think the name of Malatang is inseparable from the movie "Love Malatang" released in 1998 (in which Gao Yuanyuan was a student). In the movie scene at that time, Malatang was still represented by three small hot pots. But the word Malatang has become a name along with the movie, and Sichuan Malatang has been opened all over the country.

Back to the beginning.

The word Malatang comes from Leshan, Sichuan, while the fast food chain Malatang belongs to the Northeast. The two have been completely separated. Leshan Malatang is completely different from the fast food Malatang we eat in coastal cities. Leshan Malatang is a dinner, now usually eaten by multiple people; Northeastern fast food Malatang is a kind of fast food, mainly eaten by one person.

However, Sichuan itself also gave birth to its own hot pot fast food, which is Maocai.