Why was it originally called beggar chicken? Changshu beggar chicken is a local traditional food in Changshu, Jiangsu Province. It has a history of more than 500 years and is very famous. Its bright color and rich fragrance have been listed as famous dishes in China. Let's take a look at the history of food culture in Jiangnan.

"beggar chicken" originated from the continuous high temperature in Jiangsu Province. Some poor refugees (or beggars) stole the chicken. Wrapped in mud, the mud will be cooked when it is burned. This is a dish that cannot be elegant.

The first statement: When Emperor Qianlong visited Jiangnan incognito, he accidentally wandered into the wilderness. A man named Hanzi felt sorry for him and gave him a beggar chicken that he thought was delicious. He was sleepy and hungry, so naturally he thought the chicken was extremely delicious. I asked him his name, and he told Huatou that he was embarrassed to say that this chicken was called "beggar chicken", so he praised it as "rich chicken", and Qianlong was full of praise for it. Beggars later learned that this tramp is the current emperor, and this "beggar chicken" became a popular "rich chicken" because of the emperor's golden mouth, and also became a famous dish in the elegant hall.

The second way of saying it: It is said that a beggar got a chicken, so he killed it without washing or shedding his hair. He just wrapped it in lotus leaves, coated it with mud, stuffed it into a hot pot and burned it at random. When it was almost burnt, he took it out, mashed the mud and ate it. The taste is particularly delicious, and the "beggar chicken" has since become famous.