Some people say that the biggest difference between southerners and northerners is actually hidden in hot pot dipping. Chongqing people like sesame oil and mashed garlic. Cantonese only need a plate of refreshing soy sauce. Chaoshan people prefer small ingredients of sand tea... But in the north, in front of that bowl of thick and mellow sesame sauce, all ingredients will turn into "floating clouds".

要說北方人對芝麻醬的執念，北京人當屬。火鍋蘸料，只是芝麻醬美食的冰山一角。對北京人而言，一盤芝麻醬，可以從早吃到晚，從春吃到冬。甭管是涼菜小炒還是面皮豆腐，配盤芝麻醬，蘸就得了。夏天的小飯館里，總是可以聞見芝麻醬的香味。

To say that northerners' obsession with sesame paste, Beijingers should be the first. Hot pot dipping is just the tip of the iceberg of sesame sauce. For Beijingers, a plate of sesame paste can be eaten from morning to night, from spring to winter. No matter whether it's cold dish stir fry or noodle tofu, it can be dipped with a plate of sesame paste. In small restaurants in summer, you can always smell the smell of sesame paste.

在北京，用芝麻醬裹上過水的涼面，切點黃瓜絲再淋上蒜汁、芥末油和醋，攪拌均勻一口吃下去，比開空調吃西瓜都舒坦。加了芝麻醬的麻辣燙也是一絕。土豆、白菜、杏鮑菇、豆芽、丸子、方便面……下鍋煮熟，加一份蔞麻醬。芝麻醬的醇香中和了辣椒的刺激，提鮮又增味。

In Beijing, it is more comfortable to eat watered cold noodles wrapped in sesame paste, cut cucumber shreds, sprinkle garlic juice, mustard oil and vinegar, stir them evenly, and eat them in one mouthful than eating watermelon with air conditioner on. Spicy hot with sesame paste is also unique. Potatoes, cabbage, Pleurotus eryngii, bean sprouts, balls, instant noodles... Cook in the pot and add a portion of Lou sesame paste. The mellow aroma of sesame paste neutralizes the stimulation of pepper, which improves freshness and flavor.

北京人對芝麻醬的“敬重”，還體現在對芝麻醬的精挑細選上。芝麻醬好不好吃，要先看正不正宗。而要看芝麻醬正不正宗，就要多方位進行考察，講究、細致程度完全不亞于喝紅酒要從如何選杯子開始。看似粗獷的一瓶芝麻醬，需要先經歷精選、色篩、水洗、萌發、烘炒、風凈和石磨研磨等層層工序。

Beijing People's "respect" for sesame paste is also reflected in the careful selection of sesame paste. Whether sesame paste is delicious depends on whether it is authentic or not. To see whether the sesame paste is authentic or not, we need to investigate in many aspects. The degree of attention and detail is no less than that of drinking red wine. We should start from how to choose the cup. A seemingly rough bottle of sesame paste needs to go through layers of processes such as selection, color screening, washing, germination, baking, air cleaning and stone grinding.

精選是為了挑選成熟飽滿的芝麻；剔除雜質、空皮和秕粒；色選是為了剔除異色粒，保證芝麻原料的質量均衡，白芝麻里沒有黑芝麻，黑芝麻里沒有白芝麻；水洗是為了剔除芝麻表皮上的浮塵；萌發是為了使具備生命力的芝麻充分產生芝養素；烘炒保證芝麻香醇又沒有糊味；風凈揚煙能夠避免芝麻團成團，使得芝麻在久經研磨后口感更好，石磨研磨低溫低壓，有效保證芝麻的營養成分不被破壞。

Selection is to select mature and full sesame; Remove impurities, empty skin and chaff; Color selection is to eliminate different color particles and ensure the quality balance of sesame raw materials. There is no black sesame in white sesame and no white sesame in black sesame; Washing is to remove the floating dust on the surface of sesame; Germination is to make sesame with vitality fully produce Ganoderma lucidum; Bake and fry to ensure that sesame is mellow and has no paste flavor; The wind and smoke can avoid the agglomeration of sesame, which makes the sesame taste better after long grinding. The low temperature and low pressure of stone grinding can effectively ensure that the nutritional components of sesame are not damaged.

要挑選一份“芝麻醬”，須牢記：一看，二聞，三舀，四嘗。一份正宗的芝麻醬顏色應當介于棕褐和棕黃之中，細膩的醬面上須得泛著微微光澤。如果一份芝麻醬是淺棕色時，它可能就是和花生醬兌出來的“二八醬”，也有可能是添加了其他油料作物的“摻假芝麻醬”。一份正宗的芝麻醬常常不用攪動就能“香飄十里”，聞起來能令人產生一種飽腹感。芝麻醬的濃稠度也決定了它的品質，用勺子舀一下，便知好壞。好的芝麻醬，會讓人感到一種黏滯的阻力，但不會過于“干硬”。正宗芝麻醬帶給人的定是一種綿厚悠長的感官體驗：質地細膩，略苦又自帶回甘屬性。

To choose a "supreme sesame paste", you must remember: one look, two smell, three scoops and four tastes. The color of an authentic sesame paste should be between brown and tan, and the delicate sauce surface must be slightly shiny. If a portion of sesame paste is light brown, it may be "28 butter" mixed with peanut butter, or it may be "adulterated sesame paste" added with other oil crops. An authentic sesame paste can often be "fragrant for ten miles" without stirring, which can make people feel full. The consistency of sesame paste also determines its quality. Scoop it with a spoon to know whether it is good or bad. Good sesame paste will make people feel a sticky resistance, but it will not be too "dry and hard". Authentic sesame paste brings people a thick and long sensory experience: fine texture, slightly bitter and sweet.

吃火鍋時，手動“澥芝麻醬”也是一道非常重要的工序。即把芝麻醬由略苦黏稠變得香醇潤滑的動作和過程。將火鍋的湯汁或是涼開水、香油分批次地加進芝麻醬里，順著一個方向不停地攪動，就能得到一份澥完的芝麻醬。從醬水分離到醬水交融既是一項需要手勁兒的技術活，也是一個享受等待的過程。

When eating hot pot, manual "Shu sesame paste" is also a very important process. That is, the action and process of changing sesame paste from slightly bitter and viscous to mellow and lubricating. Add the hot pot soup or cold boiled water and sesame oil into the sesame paste in batches and stir it continuously in one direction to get a finished sesame paste. From sauce water separation to sauce water blending is not only a technical work that requires effort, but also a process of enjoying waiting.