Su Dongpo (1036-1101) of the Song Dynasty ranked among the eight great writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties in terms of composition; his lyrics were equally outstanding with Xin Qiji's; his calligraphy and painting were also unique.
Even in the art of cooking, he is also good at it.
When he offended the emperor and was demoted to Huangzhou, he often cooked dishes in person to enjoy with his friends. Su Dongpo was best at braised pork.
He once wrote a poem to introduce his cooking experience: "Slow fire, less water, and when the fire is sufficient, it will be beautiful." However, the "Dongpo" dish that was named after him was Meat", it is said that this was an interesting thing that happened when he returned to Hangzhou for the second time to serve as a local magistrate.
At that time, most of the West Lake had been engulfed by wormwood.
After he took office, he mobilized tens of thousands of migrant workers to clear the fields, dredge the lake port, pile up the excavated mud into a long embankment, and build bridges to smooth the lake water, so that the beauty of the West Lake could be restored and the lake could be restored. Storage of water for irrigation.
This long embankment has improved the environment, not only brought water benefits to the people, but also added to the scenery of the West Lake.
Later, "Spring Dawn on Su Di" was formed, which was listed as the first of the ten sceneries of West Lake.
At that time, the common people praised Su Dongpo for doing this good thing for the local area. They heard that he liked to eat braised pork. During the Spring Festival, they all sent him pork to express their appreciation.
Su Dongpo received so much pork and felt that it should be shared with the tens of thousands of migrant workers dredging the West Lake. So he asked his family to cut the meat into cubes and cook it using his cooking method. Together with the wine, it was distributed to each household according to the roster of migrant workers.
When cooking the braised pork, his family misunderstood "sending it with wine" as "cooking it with wine". As a result, the braised pork was even crispier and more delicious, and the eaters praised Su Dongpo's gift for it. The meat is cooked in a unique way and is delicious.
Everyone praised him, and anecdotes spread. Among the people who sought advice from Su Dongpo at that time, in addition to those who came to learn calligraphy and writing articles, there were also people who came to learn how to cook "Dongpo Pork".
On the Lunar New Year’s Eve, every household makes Dongpo Pork.
It has become a custom to express the memory of him.
Now it has become a famous traditional dish in Hangzhou.
Louwailou Restaurant imitated his method to cook this dish, served it to the world, and continuously improved it in practice, so it has been passed down to this day