Origin of dishes
According to legend, it was created by Su Dongpo, a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty (Meishan, Sichuan). Dongpo meat originated from Huanggang, Hubei Province. 1080 Su Dongpo lived in exile in Huanggang, and it was because the local pigs were meaty that he came up with this method of eating meat.
Zhou Zizhi, a native of the Song Dynasty, recorded in Zhupo Poetry: "Dongpo likes pigs by nature. When he was in Huanggang, he tasted the poem" Eating Pork ":'Slow fire, little water, and he is beautiful when the heat is enough. Get up and play a bowl every day, so full that your own husband doesn't care. " "Later, 1085 Su Dongpo came back from Huangzhou, and returned to Kaifeng, the capital city, as a regular state and Dengzhou, and worked in the imperial court. Before long, he was excluded, and 1089 asked to be transferred to Hangzhou as a satrap, which developed the experience of burning meat in Huangzhou into Dongpo meat. As a delicacy of Han nationality, it became popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Dongpo pork was made in memory of Dongpo, not created by Su Dongpo himself.
The prototype of Dongpo Meat is Xuzhou Reward Meat, which is one of the four treasures of Dongpo in Xuzhou.
In the autumn of the tenth year of Xining in northern Song Shenzong (1077), the Yellow River burst and the flood did not return for more than 70 days. Su Shi, Xuzhou Zhizhou, personally led the city's officials to fight floods, finally defeated the floods, and built the "Su Causeway" in the following year. The people thanked Su Dongpo for the benefit of the people, killing pigs and sheep in succession and sending them to the state capital with wine and vegetables to thank Su Gong. Su Gong couldn't refuse, so he processed the meat and gave it back to the people.
Su Dongpo's method of cooking meat can be seen in his stew song: "slow fire, little water, firewood can't afford to smoke, don't rush it when it is cooked, and it will be beautiful when the heat is enough." The characteristics of "giving back meat" are fresh and mellow, oily but not greasy. Su Dongpo left four famous dishes in Xuzhou, in addition to giving back meat, there were golden toad playing with pearls, five-pass chicken and drunk green shrimp. Later generations called these four dishes "Dongpo Four Treasures". Nowadays, in the restaurants on the streets of Xuzhou, you can still enjoy the endless aftertaste of Dongpo meat.
"Dongpo Meat" was first created in Xuzhou. "Xuzhou Ancient and Modern Famous Cuisine" records that when Su Shi was appointed as Xuzhou Zhizhou, the Yellow River burst, Su Shi took the lead and built dikes with the people of the whole city to protect the city. The people of Xuzhou slaughtered pigs and sheep, and went to the government to comfort them. Su Shi couldn't refuse, so he instructed his family to cook braised pork and give it back to the people. After eating it, the people felt fat but not greasy, crisp and delicious, so they called it "giving back meat." When Su Shi relegated Huangzhou, he wrote a song by cook the meat: "Huangzhou is a good pork, and its price is as cheap as dirt. The rich refuse to eat, and the poor don't understand cooking. Slow fire, less water, when the fire is full, it is beautiful. People began to imitate each other and dubbed it "Dongpo Meat". When Su Shi was the second magistrate of Hangzhou, he made great contributions to dredging the West Lake. When everyone gave him wine and meat to celebrate the New Year, Su Shi ordered pork and wine to be cooked for migrant workers to eat. His family mistakenly thought that rice wine and pork were cooked together, but everyone felt more crisp and delicious after eating. The reputation of "Dongpo Meat" slowly spread throughout the country.
Su Shi was a famous great writer in the Northern Song Dynasty. He is not only profound in poetry and calligraphy, but also a gourmet in ancient China. He is also very good at cooking dishes, especially at making braised pork.
The meat in return is braised pork created by Su Shi during his stay in Xuzhou. In April of the tenth year of Xining, Song Shenzong, Su Shi went to Xuzhou Zhizhou. On July 7th, the Yellow River burst in the area around Caocun, Zhuozhou. By August 21st, the flood besieged Xuzhou, and the water level was as high as 20 feet. Su Shi died by himself, joined the Dutch army, led the imperial military camp, and built dikes to protect the city with the people of the whole city. After more than 70 days and nights of hard work, Xuzhou City was finally saved.
All the people in the city rejoiced. In order to thank the well-led and well-known Zhizhou, who shared the life and death with Xuzhou people, they slaughtered pigs and sheep in succession, and took wine and food to the government to comfort them. Su Shi couldn't refuse. After accepting it, he personally instructed his family to make braised pork and gave it back to the people who participated in the flood control. After eating, the people all felt that the meat was fat but not greasy, crisp and delicious, and unanimously called it "giving back meat." Since then, "giving back meat" has spread around 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.
On February 1st, the third year of Yuanfeng, Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou as an assistant of Yong ying. He cultivated land by himself, so he called this place "Dongpo layman". This is the origin of Su Dongpo. During his stay in Huangzhou, he personally cooked braised pork and wrote his experience in "Eating Pork Poetry". The braised pork cooked by Su Shi in Xuzhou and Huangzhou is only influential in the local area and is not well-known in the whole country. The braised pork, which is really famous all over the country, is Su Shi's "Dongpo Meat" when he was in Hangzhou for the second time.
On July 3rd, 4th year of Yuanyou, Song Zhezong, Su Shi came to Ren Zhizhou, Hangzhou, where he had been away for fifteen years. During May and June of the fifth year of Yuanyou, there was heavy rain in the west of Zhejiang Province, Taihu Lake flooded and large areas of crops were flooded. Because Su Shi took effective measures as early as possible, the people in western Zhejiang passed through the most difficult period. He organized migrant workers to dredge the West Lake, build dikes and bridges, and make the West Lake look new. The people in Hangzhou are very grateful to Su Shi for this good deed. Everyone praises him as a wise official. I heard that he liked pork best when he was in Xuzhou and Huangzhou, so when the Chinese New Year came, everyone carried pigs and carried wine to pay New Year greetings to him. After Su Shi received it, he instructed his family to cut the meat into cubes and burn it red and crisp, and then distributed it to the migrant workers who took part in dredging the West Lake. Everyone was surprised after eating it, and all the meat he sent was affectionately called "Dongpo Meat".
Tracing back to the source, Su Shi's braised pork was first created in Xuzhou, further improved in Huangzhou, and became famous throughout the country in Hangzhou.