Su Shi once tasted Dongpo elbow, Dongpo tofu, Dongpo Yuman, Dongpo leg, Dongpo bud, Dongpo carp, Dongpo cake, Dongpo crisp, Dongpo tofu and Dongpo meat.
Dongpo meat introduction:
Dongpo Meat is said to have been created by Su Shi, a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty (a native of Meishan City, Sichuan Province) (it is said that Wang Chaoyun, the concubine of Su Shi, created it to improve her diet when Su Shi was exiled to Huangzhou), and its earliest birthplace was Meishan, Sichuan Province. The prototype is Xuzhou Hui meat, which is one of the four treasures of Dongpo in Xuzhou.
According to legend, in April of the tenth year of Xining in Song Shenzong (1077), Su Shi went to Xuzhou as the magistrate. On July 7, the Yellow River burst in Caocun, Zhuozhou. By August 2 1 day, Xuzhou was surrounded by floods, and the water level was as high as 20 feet. Su Shi died a martyr's life, personally joined the Dutch army, led the imperial 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.
Everyone in the city is very happy. In order to thank the well-led and well-known people, they died together with the people of Xuzhou, killing pigs and sheep in succession and bringing wine and vegetables to the government to comfort them. Su Shi can't refuse. After accepting it, he personally instructed his family to cook braised pork and gave it back to those who participated in the flood control. After eating, the people all feel that the meat is fat but not greasy, crispy and delicious, and unanimously call it "back meat".
Since then, "back meat" has spread all over 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.
In the third year of Yuanfeng (A.D. 1080), on February 1st, Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou, where he served as the deputy envoy. He cultivated the land himself, so he called this place "Dongpo lay man". This is the origin of "Dongpo Meat".
During his stay in Huangzhou, he personally cooked braised pork and wrote his own experience as "Eating Meat Poetry". Sushi's braised pork in Xuzhou and Huangzhou has only local influence 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 pork" when he was in Hangzhou for the second time.
On January 3rd, the 4th year of Song Zhezong Yuan You (1089), Su Shi came to Hangzhou after fifteen years' absence. During May and June of the fifth year of Yuan You, heavy rain fell in western Zhejiang, Taihu Lake flooded and a large area 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 and build dikes and bridges to make it look brand-new.
The people of Hangzhou are very grateful to Su Shi for this kind act. Everyone praised him as a clever official. I heard that he liked pork best when he was in Xuzhou and Huangzhou, so everyone carried pigs and wine to pay New Year greetings to him during the Chinese New Year.
After receiving it, Su Shi instructed his family to cut the meat into cubes, burn it red and crisp, and then distribute it to the migrant workers who took part in dredging the West Lake. Everyone was surprised after eating it, and they affectionately called the meat he sent "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.