The reason why Hangzhou braised pork is called Dongpo pork is because Su Shi’s braised pork was famous throughout the country when he was in Hangzhou.
1. Start-up.
Dongpo Rou is said to have been created by Su Dongpo (a native of Meishan, Sichuan), a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty (one theory is that it was created by his concubine Wang Chaoyun (the king created it when Su was demoted to Huangzhou to improve his diet)) , the earliest place of origin is Meishan, Sichuan. The prototype is Xuzhou's gift of meat, which is one of Xuzhou's "Four Dongpo delicacies".
According to legend, in April of the 10th year of Xining (1077), the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi went to serve as the magistrate of Xuzhou. On July 7, the Yellow River burst in the Cao Village area of ??Chanzhou. By August 21, floods surrounded Xuzhou, with the water level reaching as high as 28 feet. Su Shi died with his own life, personally carrying a lotus basket, leading the imperial army's military guard camp, and the people of the city to fight against floods and build embankments to protect the city. After more than seventy days and nights of hard fighting, Xuzhou City was finally saved. The people in the whole city were all rejoicing. In order to express their gratitude to Haozhizhou, who had good leadership, lived and died with the people of Xuzhou, they slaughtered pigs and sheep one after another, and carried wine and vegetables to the government to express their condolences. Su Shi couldn't refuse, so after accepting it, he personally instructed his family to make braised pork and gave it back to the people who participated in the flood fight. After eating it, the people all felt that the meat was fat but not greasy, crispy and fragrant, and unanimously called it "return meat". Since then, "return meat" has been popular in Xuzhou and has become a famous traditional dish in Xuzhou. This is described in "Xuzhou Literary and Historical Materials", "Xuzhou Fengwu Zhi", and "Xuzhou Ancient and Modern Famous Foods".
2. Development.
On February 1, the third year of Yuanfeng (AD 1080), Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou and served as deputy envoy of Tuanlian. He opened up wasteland and farmed his own land, so he called this place "Dongpo Layman". This is the origin of "Dongpo Pork". While in Huangzhou, he cooked braised pork himself and wrote his experience in "Pork-Eating Poetry". The braised pork cooked by Su Shi when he was in Xuzhou and Huangzhou was only influential locally and not very famous nationwide.
3. Become famous.
The braised pork that is really famous and famous all over the country is "Dongpo Pork" when Su Shi was in Hangzhou for the second time.
On January 3, the fourth year of Yuanyou's reign (1089), Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi came to Hangzhou, where he had been away for fifteen years, to serve as magistrate.
In May and June of the fifth year of Yuanyou, heavy rains continued in western Zhejiang, Taihu Lake overflowed, and large areas of crops were submerged. Thanks to Su Shi's early and effective measures, the people in western Zhejiang survived the most difficult period. He organized migrant workers to dredge the West Lake, build embankments and bridges, and transform the old appearance of the West Lake into a new one. The people in Hangzhou were very grateful to Su Shi for this good deed. Everyone praised him as a wise father-in-law. I heard that he liked to eat pork the most when he was in Xuzhou and Huangzhou, so during the Chinese New Year, everyone would carry pigs and wine to pay him New Year greetings. After Su Shi received it, he instructed his family to cut the meat into cubes, cook it until it was red and crispy, and then distributed it to the migrant workers who participated in dredging the West Lake. Everyone was amazed after eating it, and they affectionately called the meat he sent "Dongpo Pork".
"Dongpo Pork" was first created in Xuzhou, developed in Huangzhou, and became famous throughout the country in Hangzhou. Therefore, Hangzhou braised pork is called "Dongpo pork."