Where is Dongpo Meat?

Dongpo Meat is a famous dish in Meishan and Jiangnan. It is said that it originated from Su Shi, who was called Dongpo Jushi at that time. He was not only a great writer and politician, but also a painter and musician. Among them, there were gourmets who told the local people how to cook pork and enjoy it with them. Where is Dongpo Meat? 1

Dongpo Meat

Also known as rolling meat and Dongpo braised meat, it is a characteristic traditional dish in Meishan and Jiangnan areas.

Dongpo pork is said to have been created by Su Dongpo, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, and its earliest birthplace is Meishan, Sichuan. Its prototype is Xuzhou giving back meat, which is one of the "four treasures of Dongpo" in Xuzhou.

Dongpo pork is found in Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Hubei cuisine and other cuisines, and there are different practices in different places, such as cooking first and then burning, cooking first and then steaming, and stewing directly to collect juice.

The main ingredients and shapes of Dongpo pork are similar. The main ingredients are half-fat and half-thin pork, and the finished dishes are neatly packed like mahjong pieces. Its finished product is bright red and agate in color. Pick up a piece and taste it, soft but not rotten, fat but not greasy. When people cook Dongpo meat, they can use wine instead of water to burn the meat, which not only removes the fishy smell, but also makes the meat tender. Where is Dongpo Pork? 2

Dongpo Pork is said to have been created by Su Dongpo, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty.

It is said that in April of the tenth year of Xining in Song Shenzong (1177), Su Shi went to Xuzhou Zhizhou. On July 7th, the Yellow River burst in the area around Caocun, Zhuozhou. By August 21st, the flood besieged Xuzhou, and the water level was as high as 21 feet. Su Shi died by himself, joined the Dutch army, led the imperial military camp, and built dikes to protect the city with the people of the whole city.

After more than 71 days and nights of hard struggle, Xuzhou City was finally saved. All the people in the city rejoiced. In order to thank the well-led and well-known Zhizhou, who shared the life and death with Xuzhou people, they slaughtered pigs and sheep in succession, and took wine and food to the government to comfort them. Su Shi couldn't refuse. After accepting it, he personally instructed his family to make braised pork and gave it back to the people who participated in the flood control.

After eating it, the people all thought it was fat but not greasy, crisp and delicious, and unanimously called it "gift meat". Since then, "giving back meat" has spread around Xuzhou and become a traditional dish in Xuzhou. This is recorded in Xuzhou Literature and History Materials, Xuzhou Scenery Records and Xuzhou Ancient and Modern Famous Cuisine.

Another way of saying it

On February 1st, the third year of Yuanfeng (AD 1181), Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou as the assistant envoy of Yong ying. He cultivated land by himself, so he called this place "Dongpo layman". This is the origin of "Dongpo Meat". During his stay in Huangzhou, he personally cooked braised pork and wrote his experience in "Eating Pork Poetry".

The braised pork cooked by Su Shi in Xuzhou and Huangzhou is only influential in the local area, but it is not well-known in the whole country. The braised pork, which is really famous all over the country, is Su Shi's "Dongpo Meat" when he was in Hangzhou for the second time.

On January 3rd, the 4th year of Song Zhezong Yuanyou (1189), Su Shi came to Renzhizhou, Hangzhou, where he had been away for fifteen years. During May and June of the fifth year of Yuanyou, there was heavy rain in the west of Zhejiang Province, Taihu Lake flooded and large areas of crops were flooded. Because Su Shi took effective measures as early as possible, the people in western Zhejiang passed through the most difficult period.

He organized migrant workers to dredge the West Lake, build dikes and bridges, and make the West Lake look new. The people in Hangzhou are very grateful to Su Shi for this good deed. Everyone praises him as a wise official. I heard that he liked pork best when he was in Xuzhou and Huangzhou, so when the Chinese New Year came, everyone carried pigs and carried wine to pay New Year greetings to him.

After receiving it, Su Shi instructed his family to cut the meat into squares, burn it red and crisp, and then distributed it to the migrant workers who took part in dredging the West Lake. Everyone was amazed after eating it, and all the meat he sent was affectionately called "Dongpo Meat".

Tracing back to the source, Su Shi's braised pork was first created in Xuzhou, further improved in Huangzhou, and became famous all over the country in Hangzhou.