Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken, also known as Kung Pao Chicken, is a traditional famous dish in Sichuan cuisine. It is fried from diced chicken, dried chili peppers, peanuts, etc. Become. Because of its spicy taste, the tenderness of the chicken and the crispiness of the peanuts, it is widely welcomed by the public. Especially in Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, Kung Pao Chicken is "overrun" and has become almost synonymous with Chinese food. The situation is similar to spaghetti in Italian food.

The origin of Kung Pao Chicken

As for the origin of Kung Pao Chicken, it is generally believed to be related to Ding Baozhen. There are three legends:

One theory: Ding Baozhen’s origin Guizhou, a Jinshi during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, he served as governor of Shandong and later as governor of Sichuan. He has always liked to eat dishes stir-fried with chili peppers, pork, and chicken. It is said that when he was working in Shandong, he ordered his chef to make dishes such as "Sauce Stir-fried Chicken", which was very appetizing, but this dish was not famous at that time. After he was transferred to the governor of Sichuan, whenever he had a banquet, he would ask his chef to fry diced chicken with peanuts, dried chili peppers and tender chicken. The meat was tender and delicious, and was very popular with the guests. Later, he was named "Prince Shaobao" by the imperial court for his merits in guarding the border and fending off enemies, and was known as "Ding Gongbao". The stir-fried diced chicken cooked by his kitchen was also called "Gongbao Chicken".

The second theory: Ding Baozhen came to Sichuan to promote water conservancy. The people felt his virtue and offered his favorite fried chicken, which was called "Gong Bao Chicken".

Three stories: When Ding Baozhen was in Sichuan, he often paid private visits incognito. Once when I was dining in a small restaurant, I ate spicy chicken stir-fried with peanuts. I asked Jia Chu to imitate it, and Jia Chu named it "Kung Pao Chicken".

In addition, there is also a theory that this dish originated from the famous figure Zuo Zongtang.

It is said that Zuo Zongtang likes to eat chicken cooked by his chef the most. The method is to cut the chicken into cubes and add peanuts, diced bamboo shoots, fungus and other ingredients together. In the Qing Dynasty, governors had titles such as Gongbao and Shaobao. Because Zuo Zongtang was a former governor, he was called Zuo Gongbao, so people called this dish Gongbao Chicken.

Kung Pao Chicken and Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken turns out to be not called Kung Pao Chicken, but Kung Pao Chicken.

Nowadays, the dish "Kung Pao Chicken" is common in Chinese restaurants of all sizes. As for "Kung Pao Chicken" written on some menus, some people think that the cooking method is "stir-fry". In fact, this is a misunderstanding and the origin of "Kung Pao Chicken" is not clear.

Speaking of "Kung Pao Chicken", of course we cannot fail to mention its inventor - Ding Baozhen. According to the "Manuscript of Qing History": Ding Baozhen, courtesy name Zhihuang, was born in Pingyuan, Guizhou. He was a Jinshi in the third year of Xianfeng and served as the governor of Sichuan in the second year of Guangxu. It is said that Ding Baozhen was well versed in cooking and liked to eat chicken and peanuts, especially spicy food. When he was the governor of Sichuan, he created a delicious dish made of diced chicken, red pepper, and peanuts stir-fried in a pot. This delicious dish was originally just a "private dish" of the Ding family, but later it spread more and more widely and became known to everyone. But not many people know why it was named "Kung Pao".

The so-called "Gongbao" is actually Ding Baozhen's honorary official title. According to the explanation in the Dictionary of Chinese Officials of the Past Dynasties, officials at all levels in the Ming and Qing dynasties had "virtual titles." The highest imaginary titles are "Tai Shi, Shao Shi, Tai Tu, Shao Tu, Tai Bao, Shao Bao, Tai Zi Tai Shi, Prince Shao Bao, Tai Zi Tai Tu, Prince Shao Fu, Tai Zi Tai Bao, Prince Shao Bao". The above are all fictitious titles given to important ministers in the court, with no actual power. Some of them are posthumously awarded, commonly known as "palace titles". After Xianfeng, these virtual titles were no longer used as "such-and-such teacher" but more often as "such-and-such bao", so these highest-level virtual titles had another nickname - "gongbao". Ding Baozhen ruled Shu for ten years. He was an upright and upright official and made many achievements. He died in office in the eleventh year of Guangxu. In recognition of his achievements, the Qing court posthumously awarded him the title "Prince Taibao". As mentioned above, "Prince Taibao" is one of the "Kung Pao", so the dish he invented was named "Kung Pao Chicken", which can be regarded as a commemoration of Master Ding.

Times have changed, and many people no longer know what "Kung Pao" is, so they take it for granted and write "Kung Pao Chicken" as "Gong Bao Chicken". Although there is a one-word difference, it changes the commemoration Ding Baozhen’s original intention