During holiday reunions or gatherings of family and friends, what is most likely to appear on the table is either braised lion's head or four joy balls. Judging by the color, the two dishes look similar. If you don't name it, you may not be able to distinguish them clearly. Some people say that these two dishes are just called differently in the north and the south,in fact, these two dishes are not the same.

Sixty Meatballs and Braised Lion's Head are actually two dishes. Four Happiness Meatballs belongs to Lu Cuisine, which is a northern dish. Lion's head is Huaiyang cuisine, a southern dish. Four Happiness Meatballs belongs to Lu Cuisine and consists of four golden, fragrant and realistic meatballs, signifying happiness, luck, longevity and happiness in life. It is often used as the final dish of banquets, such as weddings and birthday parties, as an expression of good fortune.

The Four Happiness Meatballs are brightly colored, thickly oiled and heavily sauced. The meatballs contain more meat and raw starch. Braised lion's head emphasizes the flavor of processed ingredients, such as lion's head. Common JAC ingredients such as crabmeat and salted egg yolk can be added to the center with the soup.

Braised Lion's Head is a Huaiyang dish. It's really all about fine and coarse cuts, with a ratio of fat to lean meat of 4 to 6. The cuts are handled individually, then mixed to keep the grains of meat apart and make them tender-crisp. However, however good the lion's head may be, and however good the appetite, one must not eat much of it, for it is too greasy. If it were not greasy, and the proportion of fat were reduced, it would become a mass of "dead" meat.

Size-wise, lion's head is a large meatball. For this reason, the lion's head is usually served individually, and the meatballs are served in a single portion.

From the practice There are many kinds of lion head, such as braised pork, braised pork, stuffed pork and so on. Sikki meatballs are relatively monotonous.

From a texture point of view Although Sikki Meatballs also focus on "melt-in-your-mouth", lion's head tastes softer and more tender. Sikki meatballs are usually chopped with minced pork. However, the meat in lion's head is the size of a pomegranate. There are large spaces between the meat grains, so it can take in more water and flavor and "melt in your mouth".

From the specialtiesLion's Head has its own delicious flavor of Huaiyang cuisine, which reflects the originality of the southerners. Marubeni Sihi has its own strong Lu cuisine flavor, which also reflects the simplicity and authenticity of Shandong people.