According to historical records, when Emperor Yang Di went south along the Grand Canal with his concubines and thousands of ships, "all the counties he passed were ordered to provide food within 500 miles. A hundred miles in a state, land and water are extremely rare "("Zi Tongzhi Jian "). Yang Guang saw the Qionghua in Yangzhou, especially the four famous scenic spots in Yangzhou: Wansongshan, Qiandun, Ivory Forest and Sunflower Mountain. After returning to the palace, he ordered the chef to cook four dishes with the above four scenes as the theme. Under the guidance of Yangzhou famous chefs, the royal chefs finally made four dishes: sweet and sour mandarin fish, money shrimp cake, sliced chicken with elephant buds and sunflower minced meat. After Yang Guang tasted it, he was very happy, so he gave a banquet to entertain the ministers, and Huaiyang cuisine became popular in the ruling and opposition parties.
In the Tang Dynasty, with the prosperity of economy, officials and dignitaries began to pay attention to diet. On one occasion, Wei Li, Duke of Xi, gave a banquet, and Wei Juyuan, a famous chef in the imperial court, also cooked these four famous Yangzhou dishes, which were accompanied by delicacies and delicacies, which made the guests amazed. When the dish "Sunflower Cut Meat" was served, I saw that the sunflower heart made of huge meat balls was exquisite, like a lion's head. The guest took the opportunity to persuade the wine: "I have been a military horse for half my life and deserve the handsome seal of a lion." Wei Li happily raised his glass and gulped it down, saying, "In order to commemorate today's great event, it is better to change the name of' Sunflower Chopped Meat' to' Lion Head'." After a shout, Yangzhou added a famous dish "Lion Head".
In the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River and brought this delicious food to Kyoto, which became one of the dishes of the Qing Dynasty. During the Jiaqing period, Lin Lan, a native of Ganquan, also sang Yangzhou's "sunflower balls" in Three Songs of Hanjiang River. Its preface says: "The meat is finely chopped and coarsely chopped into pills, and the vegetable oil is fried into sunflower yellow, commonly known as sunflower balls." His poem said: "The guest chef is diligent in breaking silk, and the sunflower is fresh. Think about the sun when you are full, and the meat will be eaten one after another. "
Yang Guang, Emperor Yangdi of Yang Di, went to Yangzhou to see Qionghua, and then stayed in Jiangnan, enjoying countless beautiful scenery. He visited four famous scenic spots in Yangzhou, namely Wansongshan, Qiandun, Ivory Forest and Kuihua Mountain, and was amazed at the scenic spots in the garden. He personally renamed them Qianjin Mountain, Maoerdun, Pingshan Hall and Qionghuaguan. After returning to the palace, I called the chef and asked them to cook four dishes to commemorate this trip to Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. ) The chef made great efforts to cook four famous dishes. These four dishes are 1 sweet and sour mandarin fish, 2 money shrimp cakes, 3 ivory chicken strips and 4 sunflower meat sacrifices. After Yang Guang tasted it, he was very happy. So, he gave a banquet to entertain his ministers, which became delicious for a time and spread all over the south of the Yangtze River. Officials and dignitaries are also proud of owning these four dishes and regard them as treasures.
In the Tang dynasty, it was a golden plate and a jade plate, all of which were beautiful. On this day, Duke Huan gave a banquet and ordered Wei Juyuan, a famous chef in the government, to make four famous dishes: sweet and sour mandarin fish, money shrimp cake, ivory chicken strips and sunflower meat, accompanied by delicacies and delicacies. All the guests were surprised. When the sunflower was served with meat, I saw a sunflower heart made of huge meatballs, which was very beautiful and really like a lion's head. I've been a soldier for half my life, and I've made great achievements. The guests advised him, "Gong should wear the handsome seal of the Nine Lions." Gui Guogong raised his glass and gulped it down, saying, "In order to commemorate the meeting tonight, it is better to replace sunflower meat with lion's head." Since then, Weiyang's famous dish has added a "lion's head", which is famous for its braising and steaming.