In the area of Yongxiu (Yongxiu County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province) in the north of Jiangxi Province, whenever a banquet is held, the first thing is two bowls of food and vegetables, which symbolizes harmony. Then came two bowls of big pork tied with straw. There are two bowls of pork on the sumptuous banquet, which looks unique. Pick up scissors, cut the straw, and taste it carefully. The meat color is clear and refreshing, and the entrance is crispy and glutinous. The smell of meat is also mixed with a clear smell of straw, which is refreshing and really has an endless aftertaste. This kind of meat is called Dongpo meat. Why is this dish called "Dongpo Meat"? There is such a legend. There was a famous writer named Su Dongpo in Song Dynasty. He traveled all over the world. At noon one summer, he came to a place called Aicheng in Yongxiu. At this time, it is the dog days in summer, and the weather is very hot. There happened to be a towering camphor tree on the roadside, which shaded the sun. It was really a good place to enjoy the cool. Su Dongpo sat on a bench under a tree, enjoying the cool while reading. Reading, suddenly there was a cry. He looked up and saw a farmer with a child in his arms coming in a hurry, followed by a crying woman. Dongpo thought: 80% is that the child has something urgent. Although I am not good at medicine, I have read a lot of medical books and pharmacy, and I know a little about common diseases. So he stopped the farmer and said, "Let me have a look!" " It turns out that the couple's middle-aged son is more precious than life, so they named the child "Jin Zai Li". Jin Zaili suddenly fell ill today, and was unconscious. The couple were so scared that they hurried to find a doctor with their children in their arms. As the saying goes, "seek medical treatment in a hurry." The farmer looked at Su Dongpo's dress and was so enthusiastic that he immediately handed the child to him. Dongpo took a look, and the child clenched his teeth and twitched his hands and feet, which was exactly what the medical book said about heatstroke. So he called the farmer to lay the child flat on the ground, picked a handful of camphor leaves and rubbed them under the child's nose. Then, according to the practice in the medical book, I fiddled here and pinched there. After a while, Jin Zai started to cry out loud. The couple were overjoyed. They picked up Jin Zai, grabbed Su Dongpo and walked home. Su Dongpo saw that the farmer was eager to give thanks, so he had to follow. When I came to the farmer's house, I saw that it was not rich, but it was also very neat. In order to show gratitude, the farmer kept Su Dongpo's warm hospitality for three days.
This morning, the farmer excitedly bought two Jin of pork from the collection and brought it back with a bundle of straw. As he walked, he thought: I bought the meat back, and I have to ask my husband about his taste. So I went to ask Su Dongpo.
At this time, the sun just showed half a smiling face, and the morning glow was all over the sky. Dewdrops hung on the rice leaves in the field, like bright pearls. Su Dongpo is fascinated by this beautiful natural scenery. He is facing the east window, making a masterpiece of poetry, and is composing poems and lyrics, weighing words and phrases! The farmer asked softly at the door, "Sir, how do you think this meat can be eaten?" Dongpo was fascinated by his poems, and he read aloud: "Wo-Cao-Zhen-Zhu-Touxin Xiang. . . 。” The farmer was stunned. What does this mean, sir? Think about it carefully: yes, he told me to cook the meat with straw and cook it thoroughly, so that it tastes delicious, so he said, "Cook it with grass and make it fragrant." This gentleman is really different from us farmers. He speaks with poetry and even eats meat. Thinking of this, the farmer took the meat to the kitchen, told his wife and straw to put the whole piece of pork in the pot and cook it until it was rotten.
When the food was served at dinner, Su Dongpo saw a whole piece of meat, which was uncut and tied with straw. He thought about it for some reason. I want to ask, but I'm embarrassed to ask. Do you want to eat? A whole piece of meat and straw are still tied to it, and I don't know how to do it. The farmer was surprised to see Su Dongpo staring at the meat. He said to Su Dongpo, "I'll ask you in the morning. Didn't you say' cooking with grass makes your heart fragrant'? I made it according to your meaning. Why don't you eat it, sir? "
Su Dongpo suddenly realized. It turned out that the farmer had strung together his words, and the intermittent poems were heard by him as one sentence. In that case, we have to get off the donkey down the slope. So he told him to cut the rope and eat happily with the farmer's family. I didn't expect that pork was mixed with straw flavor, which was very fragrant and delicious. After dinner, the farmer and his wife went out. Dongpo thought: I am very sorry for the host's hospitality and the interruption for several days. I have to go several times, but the host refused. I'd better go today. I was sure of my idea. I took out five or two pieces of silver from my bag and put it on the table, leaving a note saying, "The host was kind enough to refuse, but Dongpo left without saying goodbye." When the farmer and his wife came back, they were surprised to see the police. It turned out that the benefactor who saved their children was the famous Mr. Su Dongpo.
This story spread from one word to ten, and everyone learned to tie meat with straw and cook it. It was really crispy and delicious. The villagers called this kind of meat "Dongpo Meat". Because of its delicious taste and unique practice, it has been circulated. When Su Dongpo was a secretariat in Hangzhou, he managed the West Lake and did a good thing for the people. He governed the West Lake. After the West Lake was harnessed, the surrounding fields were not afraid of waterlogging or drought. This year, the weather was favorable, and the crops in the four townships of Hangzhou had a bumper harvest. The people thanked Su Dongpo for the benefits of managing the West Lake. By the time of the New Year, everyone would carry pigs and carry wine to pay a New Year call to him.
Su Dongpo accepted a lot of pork, had it cut into squares and burned red, and then distributed the meat to them for the New Year according to the roster of migrant workers who managed the West Lake. Everyone is very happy. Everyone praises Su Dongpo as a wise official and calls the pork he sent "Dongpo pork".
There is a big restaurant in Hangzhou. When the owner of the restaurant saw that people boasted about "Dongpo pork", he discussed with the chef and cut the pork into squares and burned it red and crisp. Hang out the brand, also named "Dongpo Meat".
As soon as this new dish came out, the business of that restaurant was booming. Customers kept coming from morning till night. Killing ten big pigs every day was not enough. Other restaurant owners were jealous and learned to do it. For a time, no matter how big or small the restaurant was, every family had "Dongpo meat". Later, after mutual recognition, "Dongpo Meat" was designated as the first famous dish in Hangzhou.
Su Dongpo is honest and not afraid of power. The treacherous court officials in the imperial court hated him very much. At this time, I was even more uncomfortable to see him loved by the people. One of them, Yushi, disguised himself and came to Hangzhou to find faults, with the intention of framing Su Dongpo.
On the first day of his arrival in Hangzhou, Yu Shi had lunch in a restaurant. The waiter handed the menu and asked him to order. When he received the menu, the first thing he saw was "Dongpo Meat"! He frowned, thought for a moment, and clapped his hands on the table and shouted, "I'll take this first dish!" " After eating Dongpo Meat, I thought it was really delicious. I asked the waiter that Dongpo Meat was the first famous dish recognized by my peers, so he collected the menus of all the restaurants in Hangzhou and went back to Beijing excitedly.
When the suggestion returned to Beijing, he immediately went to see the emperor. He said, "Your Majesty, Su Dongpo is a secretariat in Hangzhou, taking bribes and perverting the law, and doing all evil things! The people can't wait to eat his meat. "
The emperor said, "How do you know? Is there any evidence? "
The empire presented the pile of greasy menus. As soon as the emperor saw the menu, he was indiscriminate. He immediately handed down the imperial edict, resigned Su Dongpo and sent him away to Hainan to banish troops.
After Su Dongpo was transferred to the army, the people in Hangzhou could not forget his benefits and praised him as before. In this way, "Dongpo Meat" has been handed down from generation to generation. Dongpo Meat is one of the 36 famous dishes in Hangzhou recognized by Zhejiang Province in 1956, and it is still a famous dish in Hangzhou until today.