According to the Draft of the History of Qing Dynasty, Ding Baozhen was born in Pingyuan, Guizhou Province. He was a scholar in Xianfeng for three years and served as the governor of Sichuan in Guangxu for two years. It is said that Ding Baozhen is good at cooking. He likes chicken and peanuts, especially spicy food. When he was the governor of Sichuan Province, he created a delicious dish made of diced chicken, red pepper and peanuts. This delicious dish was originally just Ding Jia's "private kitchen", but later it spread more and more widely and became a household name. But not many people know why it was named "Bao Gong".
The so-called "Bao Gong" is actually the honorary title of Ding Baozhen. According to the explanation in China Dictionary of Mandarin in Past Dynasties, officials at all levels in Ming and Qing Dynasties have "false names". The highest virtual titles are "Taifu, Shao Shi, Taifu, Shaofu, Taibao, Shaobao, Taifu Prince, Shao Shi Prince, Taifu Prince, Shaofu Prince, Taibao Prince and Shaobao Prince". The above titles are empty titles for important North Korean officials and have no actual power. Some are posthumous gifts, which are generally called "palace titles".
After Xianfeng, these false names no longer used "so-and-so teacher" but "so-and-so insurance", so these top false names had another nickname-"Bao Gong". Ding Baozhen ruled Shu for ten years and made many achievements for the officials. He died in the eleventh year of Guangxu. In the second year of Guangxu (1876), Ding Baozhen was received by Emperor Guangxu, and was awarded the title of "Prince with Top Wear and Little Care" and the title of "Imperial Advisor" of the Ministry of War. [19] replaced Wu Tang as acting governor of Sichuan. As mentioned earlier, "Prince Taibao" is one of the "Bao Gong", so this dish he invented in Sichuan was named "kung pao chicken" to commemorate this Ding Adult.
Times have changed. Many people don't know what "Bao Gong" is, so it is natural to write "kung pao chicken" as "kung pao chicken". Although it is a word difference, it has changed the original intention of commemorating Ding Baozhen.
About the origin of kung pao chicken, it is generally believed that it is related to Ding Baozhen, and there are several legends:
One said: About the origin of kung pao chicken, it is generally believed that it was created by Ding Baozhen, the governor of Sichuan in the Qing Dynasty, and Ding Baozhen was from Niuchang Town, zhijin county, Guizhou. He accidentally fell into the water when he was a child and was rescued by a family by the bridge. Later, when I became an official, I remembered this and thanked him. The family served this dish. He thought it was delicious after eating it, so he popularized it. This is the real origin of this dish (recorded in Zhijin County Records).
Second, Zuo likes to eat the chicken cooked by the chef. The way to do this is to cut the chicken into cubes and fry it with peanuts, diced bamboo shoots, fungus and other ingredients. In the Qing Dynasty, the governor held the titles of "Shao Bao" and "Shao Bao", and because Zuo was once the governor, it was called "Zuo", so people called this dish "kung pao chicken".
Three: People who are familiar with the history of the late Qing Dynasty should be familiar with Ding Baozhen (who was named "Prince Shao Bao" and honored as Ding). His courage and boldness in defeating An Dehai, the favorite of Cixi, have been praised by later generations. In other words, when Ding Baozhen was transferred from Shandong to Sichuan, there was a flood in Dujiangyan. When the new official takes office, he will go to inspect it. Because lunch was delayed, I had to eat in a small restaurant on the street. Unfortunately, many dishes are sold out, and there is nothing to fry. When people are hungry, they can't wait to go to other restaurants and fry them quickly with raw materials such as chicken. Ding Baozhen was very satisfied with the delicious taste, and "kung pao chicken" became famous.
After the name "kung pao chicken" was named, people copied it. When restaurants adopt this mode of operation, everyone likes it. Legend has it that there were many vendors selling fried peanuts and beans in restaurants and restaurants at that time. Peanuts were not used in kung pao chicken. Some diners occasionally ask vendors to pour fried peanuts into the "kung pao chicken" plate. After mixing, they found it tasted better, so they later added peanuts to cook. Today's "kung pao chicken" has more mature cooking skills.
Four: Another way of saying "kung pao chicken" cannot but talk about "Left Tang Zong". It turns out that "Zuo" especially likes to eat chicken. In the northwest military camp, he lived a simple life, and his meals were mostly Hunan hometown dishes. He likes to eat chicken and spicy chicken when he meets "a rare tooth" The army chef modified it according to the ingredients and cooking method of a palace dish. If he buys a chicken, he will cut the chicken breast into cubes and fry it with red pepper, cucumber, fried peeled peanuts and so on. This dish is tender and crisp, full of color and flavor, full of hometown flavor, and easy to carry when marching in wartime. Because Zuo loves to eat, and it is used to entertain guests. However, Zuo was once the governor of Shaanxi, but in Gansu, people called him at that time. Therefore, Zuo's favorite diced chicken is called kung pao chicken. Abroad, people translated "kung pao chicken" into "Left Tang Zong Chicken".
According to legend, during the Qing Dynasty, Ding Baozhen, a former governor of Sichuan, was named "Prince Shao Bao" and was called Ding. After Ding arrived, at a banquet, the waiter served diced chicken with green peppers and crispy peanuts. Gong Bao praised the dish and asked what it was called. The host had a brainwave and replied, "This dish is nameless. Since adults like it, it is called kung pao chicken. " The name of the dish appears here again. The characteristics of this dish are: pale white and green. Gold and mixed; Fresh and tender, slightly spicy and crispy. Pork can also be used as raw material, so it is called Kung Pao diced meat. Ding Baozhen managed the flood in Dujiangyan as well as Li Bing and his son. "kung pao chicken" is famous because people want to remember Ding Baozhen's immortal feats.
Six said: Ding Baozhen was originally from Guizhou, and he was a scholar in Xianfeng period of Qing Dynasty. He was once the governor of Shandong and then the governor of Sichuan. He always likes to eat Chili, pork and chicken for cooking. It is said that when he was working in Shandong, he ordered his chef to cook "Fried Chicken with Sauce" and other dishes, which was very appetizing, but no one said this dish at that time. Whether it is true or not, it means it has nothing to do with Shandong cuisine. After all, Guizhou chefs improved it from diced Chili chicken, which is different from the chicken parts used in Shandong Sauced Chicken. After being transferred to the governor of Sichuan, every time he met a banquet guest, he asked the chef to fry diced chicken with peanuts, dried peppers and tender chicken. The meat is tender and delicious, and it is very popular with guests. Later, because of his meritorious service in defending the border and defending the enemy, he was named "Prince Shao Bao" by the court and was called "Ding". The fried diced chicken cooked by his chef is also called "kung pao chicken".
According to legend, when Ding Baozhen was in Guizhou, he loved to eat fried diced chicken with chaff, pepper and peanuts. During his transfer to the governor of Shandong Province, his chef, under the guidance of Ding, made diced chicken with green pepper and diced chicken with Shandong frying method, which is called frying. It's pathetic that Shandong people make up such stories and deceive themselves. After being transferred to the governor of Sichuan, the fried diced chicken cooked by Dingfu House is more exquisite and is often used to entertain guests, so it is called "kung pao chicken".
Seven said: kung pao chicken, also known as kung pao chicken, is made from the chicken breast and peanuts of a white cock, and the production method belongs to strong frying. This dish has a long history, but there is a very special place: it belongs to the cuisine, and there are different opinions. Shandong people say it's Shandong cuisine, Sichuan people say it's Sichuan cuisine, Beijingers say it's Gongting cuisine, and Guizhou people say it's Guizhou local cuisine.
Eight said: China's eight famous dishes basically include all kinds of famous dishes, and most of each dish naturally belongs to a certain cuisine. How did this "kung pao chicken" become "Eight Streets"? This has to start with Ding Baozhen, the "pioneer" of this dish.
Ding Baozhen, originally from Pingyuan, Guizhou Province, was a scholar of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty for three years and served as the governor of Shandong and Sichuan. Ding Baozhen is very particular about cooking. When he was an official in Shandong, he called dozens of chefs. Whenever there is a family dinner, homemade fried chicken will be served with fresh and delicious peanuts, which is very popular and appreciated by the guests. Whether this statement is true or not means that it has nothing to do with Shandong cuisine; After all, Shandong chefs learned from Ding Baozhen, while Ding Baozhen himself made it with the method of Guizhou diced chicken with green peppers. Soon, this dish entered the Qing palace and became a delicious dish in the court. The governor of the Qing Dynasty was the highest local official, and he was known as "Bao Gong". Because Ding Baozhen, the "founder", has the official title of Bao Gong, this dish is called "kung pao chicken" and soon becomes a delicacy for diners. Through the continuous improvement and innovation of chefs, it has become a famous dish all over the country. According to this statement, Ding Baozhen is not a Shandong prince; So this dish called "Kung Pao" has nothing to do with Shandong.
Therefore, Shandong people say that this dish was invented and popular when Ding Baozhen was the governor of Shandong, and it should be "Shandong cuisine"; Sichuanese say that Ding Baozhen became famous when he was governor of Sichuan, otherwise how can we call him "Bao Gong"? Beijingers say that since they have entered the palace banquet, it is of course court food, while Guizhou people say: What? This is Ding Baozhen's hometown. Friends and relatives welcomed him and cooked some dishes for him. One of the dishes is fried diced chicken with tender green pepper. Ding likes it very much, so he asks what the name of this dish is. In order to please him, some people say that this dish is specially made for Lord Bao, and it should be named after "kung pao chicken"-an authentic Guizhou dish.
A dish has caused so many claims, but there is no exact "ownership", which is also a much-told story in the dish. Anyway, today's restaurants in Jinan, large and small, all chefs can't miss this famous dish as long as they are under the banner of "Shandong cuisine".
Today, there are three kung pao chicken with the same name: Guizhou flavor, Shandong flavor and Sichuan flavor, but Sichuan flavor is the most famous.