He can cook his own dishes, and he is also good at cooking meat. Many of his famous poems, such as Eat Pork, Gourmet Fu, Ding's Send Goose, Bean Pork Soup, etc., all show his keen interest in cooking.
It is said that Dongpo Meat originated in Xuzhou. Ten years in Xining, Song Shenzong (1077), in April, Su Shi went to Xuzhou. On July 7, the Yellow River burst in Caocunleng, Yizhou, and the flood on August 2 1 day besieged Xuzhou. Su Shi was a martyr to his country and led the imperial camp and the people of the whole city to fight floods and build dikes to protect the city. After more than 70 days and nights of hard work, Xuzhou City was finally saved.
People in the city were very happy. They slaughtered pigs and sheep one by one and took wine and vegetables to the government to comfort them. Su Shi can't refuse. After accepting it, he personally instructed his family to cook braised pork and gave it back to those who participated in the flood control. After eating, the people all feel that the meat is fat but not greasy, crispy and delicious, and unanimously call it "back meat". Since then, "back meat" has spread all over 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.
In the third year of Yuanfeng (A.D. 1080), on February 1st, Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou, where he served as the deputy envoy. During his stay in Huangzhou, he personally cooked braised pork and wrote his own experience in the poem "Eating Pork": "Huangzhou is good, the price is as low as dirt, the rich refuse to eat, and the poor don't know how to cook. Slow down the fire, less water, and it will look good when the fire is full. Come and play a bowl early every day, it's all your own control. " This dish didn't have a name at that time. ?
Su Shi's braised pork was named "Dongpo Meat" because of its name, and it was really famous all over the country when Su Shi was the second governor of Hangzhou. At that time, most of the West Lake had been wiped out by weeds. After he took office, he organized migrant workers to eradicate weeds, dredge lakes, build bridges, restore the face of the West Lake and increase scenic spots.
The people of Hangzhou are very grateful to him. I heard that he likes braised pork best at ordinary times, so many people come to deliver pork in unison. After receiving a large amount of pork, he asked his family to cut the meat into cubes, add seasoning and wine, cook it with his cooking method and distribute it to migrant workers who participated in dredging the West Lake. After eating, everyone praised the crispy meat for its delicious taste, fat but not greasy, so people named it "Dongpo Meat" after him.