Zilong Tuopao is a famous traditional dish in Hunan Province with eel as the main ingredient, belonging to Hunan cuisine. This dish is bright in color, with white, green, brown and purple in contrast. Salty and fresh, smooth and tender. Shredded eel is tender, spicy and smooth.
Because the eel needs to go through the processes of breaking fish, deboning, decapitation, peeling, etc. in the production process, especially the peeling of eel looks like an ancient military commander taking off his robe, so this dish is named "Zilong taking off his robe".
Historical allusions of Zilong's undressing.
According to legend, Changshan Zhao Zilong, the famous soldier of the Three Kingdoms, was heroic and victorious. When Cao Cao's army and Liu Bei fought a bloody battle in Changbanpo, Yang, Liu Bei had to fight and retreat under the cover of the generals because of the disparity in strength between the two sides. General Zhao Yun (Zi Long) is responsible for protecting the two ladies and Prince Dou. When Liu Bei saw Zhao Yun take off his blood-stained shirt from his seriously injured body, his wrapped son, Dou, was still in a deep sleep.
Later, the famous chefs in Hunan and Chu created a delicious style of "taking off the robe of the dragon" to show their respect for Zhao Yun, the hero of Changbanpo, and put the eel in the name of dragon.
Zilong's robe removal in Quyuan Restaurant has always been highly praised by famous artists. After Quyuan Restaurant entered Beijing, this dish was more favored by literati. For example, Qi Baishi, Wu Han, Tian Han, etc. will take off their robes at the first pass of Quyuan. Zilong undressing is not only delicious, nutritious and nourishing, but also the food allusions in it often make people appreciate the feeling of eating outside the taste.