There are many local specialties and snacks in my hometown, such as Wufangzhai’s sauced meat, Xinya’s wontons, Wangsi’s beggar’s chicken, etc., but among them, I like to eat beggar’s chicken the most.

That day, when I came home from school, there were two cantaloupe-shaped yellow mud balls at the foot of the wall. Their appearance seemed to have been dried by the fire, but I didn't know what they were.

So I asked my grandma, but grandma said to me mysteriously: "There is something very delicious inside." The more mysterious it became, the more curious I became. Finally, while peeling off the mud shells and preparing for steaming, grandpa told me about the

The origin of flower chicken.

It turned out that the "beggar's chicken" was a chicken stolen by some poor refugees (or beggars). Since they did not have a pot at the time, they came up with a good idea. They wrapped the chicken in mud and burned the mud on a fire until the mud was roasted.

The chicken will be cooked when it dries up. This is a dish that cannot be considered elegant.

Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong went on an incognito tour of the south of the Yangtze River to the foot of Yushan Mountain in Changshu. A beggar gave him a "beggar's chicken" that he thought was a delicacy. At that time, Qianlong was sleepy and hungry, so he naturally thought the chicken was extremely delicious and ate it.

When asked about its name, the beggar simply said that the chicken was called "Beggar's Chicken." Qianlong praised the chicken profusely, and it has been passed down to this day.

After hundreds of years of spread and improvement, the current taste of beggar's chicken is unusual. Winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, pork belly, scallops, onions, green onions, ginger, salt, star anise, cloves, pepper, etc. are added to the chicken's belly.

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The chicken body is wrapped in fresh lotus leaves, the outside is wrapped in baking paper, and finally the outside is coated with mountain yellow mud.

After three or four hours of slow baking, it becomes what you want to know now.

After hearing this, I suddenly realized.

After steaming for about a quarter of an hour, the room was filled with aroma, which made my mouth water and my appetite increased. I still have endless aftertaste.

Liu Rushi said at that time: "I would rather eat beggar's chicken than fish from Songjiang River.