"Lion's Head", or "Big Chopped Meat" in Yangzhou, is called "Big Meat Dumplings" or "Four Happiness Dumplings" in the northern dialect. "Four Happiness Meatballs". It is said that its "distant ancestor" is the "jumping pill roast" recorded in the North and South Dynasties "Food Classic" ("Qimin Yaojiao. The eightieth").

History records, when Emperor Yang took his concubines and followers, riding on a dragon boat and a thousand ships along the Grand Canal, "the states and counties that passed by, within 500 miles of the food offerings. From one state to a hundred mikoshi, the food was extremely rare on land and water" (Ziji Tongjian). Yang Guang saw the Yangzhou agaric, especially on the Yangzhou Wansongshan, the money pier, ivory forest, sunflower Gang four famous scenery is very fond of. After returning to the palace, he ordered the imperial chefs to make four dishes with the above four scenes as the theme. Imperial chefs in Yangzhou under the guidance of a famous chef, finally made a lot of effort squirrel cinnamon fish, money shrimp cake, elephant buds chicken strips and sunflower chopped meat of these four dishes. Yang Guang tasted it and was so happy that he gave a banquet to his ministers, and for a while Huaiyang cuisine was popular among the people.

During the Tang Dynasty, as the economy prospered, officials and dignitaries also began to pay attention to their diets. On one occasion, Wei Jiaozhi, the Duke of Zhenguo, hosted a banquet, and Wei Juyuan, the famous chef of his house, made these four famous dishes from Yangzhou, accompanied by delicacies of the sea and the land and water, which made the guests marvel at them. When the dish "sunflower chopped meat" was served, only to see the huge meat ball made of sunflower heart exquisite, like a lion's head. The guests took the opportunity to persuade the wine, said: "郇国公 half life of the military, war achievements, should wear a lion seal of honor." Wei Jiaozhi happily raised his glass and drank it down, saying, "In honor of today's event, 'Sunflower Chopped Meat' might as well be renamed 'Lion's Head'." A call for a hundred promises, from Yangzhou on the addition of "lion's head" this famous dish.

During the Qing Dynasty, when Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, he brought this delicacy to Kyoto, making it one of the dishes of the Qing Palace. During the Jiaqing period, Ganquan people Lin Lanzhi Ganjiang three chants, also sang Yangzhou's "sunflower meatballs". The preface says: "The meat is chopped finely and coarsely into balls, and fried in meat and vegetable oil to a sunflower yellow color, commonly known as sunflower meatballs." The poem reads, "The kitchen has been cut frequently, and this sunflower ball is new. Full stomach should also think to the sun, have meat and food er who."

Yang Guang, Emperor Yang, went to Yangzhou to watch the Qiong Hua, stayed in the south of the Yangtze River, viewing countless beautiful scenery. He was full of Yangzhou, Wan Songshan, money dun, ivory forest, sunflower post, after the four famous scenery, the garden scenery, appreciated, and personally renamed the four famous scenery for the thousands of gold mountain, cap dun, ping shan hall, qiong hua kuan. After returning to the Palace, and called the Imperial Kitchen, let them on the scenery, make four dishes to remember the trip to Yangzhou, Jiangnan, (ancient times, there are dishes imitating the custom of the garden scenery.) The royal chef took great pains to make four famous dishes. These four dishes when 1 squirrel osmanthus fish, 2 money shrimp cake, 3 ivory chicken strips, 4 sunflower offering meat. After Yang Guang tasted them, he was so happy that he gave them to his ministers for a banquet, which became a delicacy and spread all over the south of the Yangtze River. Officials and dignitaries were also proud to have these four dishes as their prized possessions.

The Tang Dynasty, it is the golden plate of jade chop, good food all show. This day, the Duke of the State Banquet, ordered the House of the famous chef Wei Ju Yuan do squirrel gui fish, money shrimp cake, ivory chicken strips, sunflower offering four famous dishes, and accompanied by sea food, land and sea delicacies. The guests were all amazed. When the sunflower meat dish served, only to see the sunflower heart made of huge meat rounds, beautiful, really like a lion's head. Duke of Zhengguo half life of military and horseback riding, war achievements, guests urged the wine: "Gong should wear nine lion handsome seal." Duke of Ziguo raised his cup and drank it all, saying "in honor of this evening's meeting, sunflower meat might as well be changed to 'lion's head'." Since then Weiyang famous dishes, and add a "lion's head", braised, steamed, popular.

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