Dongpo pork

Dongpo pork
Traditional Chinese 東坡肉
Simplified Chinese 东坡肉

Dongpo pork (simplified Chinese: 东坡肉; traditional Chinese: 東坡肉; pinyin: dōngpōròu) is a Hangzhou dish[1] which is made by pan-frying and then red cooking pork belly. The pork is cut thick, about 2 inches square, and should consist equally of fat and lean meat. The skin is left on. The mouthfeel is oily but not greasy and the dish is fragrant with wine. The dish is named after the famed Song Dynasty poet and gastronome Su Dongpo.[2]

Origins

Legend has it that during Su Dongpo's life of poverty during his banishment to Hangzhou, he improved on the traditional process. He first braised the pork, added Chinese fermented wine to make red-braised pork, then slowly stewed it on low heat. In their scholarly work Chinese Gastronomy, Lin Hsiang Ju and Lin Tsuifeng give the recipe “The Fragrance of Pork: Tungpo Pork,” and remark that the “square of fat is named after Su Tungpo, the poet, for unknown reasons. Perhaps it is just because he would have liked it.”[3]

A popular tourist website[4] relates that Dongpo Pork experienced three phases of popularity, from first appearance to mainstream appreciation. The history of the dish is said to parallel the experiences of Su Dongpo: from Xuzhou, a northern city of Jiangsu province, where Dongpo pork first appeared under the name of Huizeng pork; to Huangzhou, today Huanggang of Hubei province, where Su Dongpo finalized the method and recipe; and finally to Hangzhou, where Dongpo pork was officially named and became widely known across China.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cannon, Gwen, ed. (2010). Michelin Must Sees Shanghai. London: Michelin Apa Publications. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-906261-99-3.
  2. ↑ Law, Eugene (2004). Intercontinental's best of China. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press. p. 336. ISBN 978-7-5085-0429-2.
  3. ↑ Hsiang-Ju Lin and Tsuifeng Lin, with a Foreword and Introduction by Lin Yutang, Chinese Gastronomy. New York,: Hastings House, 1969. ISBN 0-8038-1131-4; various reprints), p 55.
  4. ↑ The History and Culture of Dongpo Pork - Mildchina "The top travel expert for designing great East China Tours."
  5. ↑ The History and Culture of Dongpo Pork - Mildchina "The top travel expert for designing great East China Tours."
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dongpo pork.