The origin of the lion's head

Many places in our country refer to large meat balls as lion's head. The famous writer Liang Shiqiu said in the article "Lion's Head": "Probably because it is similar in shape and quite large, hence the name. The northern restaurant is called Shiki Maruko because of a plate of four. ”

The origin of the lion's head dates back to the Sui Dynasty. When the Sui Dynasty Emperor descended to Jiangnan, he watched the beautiful scenery of the flowers, and after returning to the palace, he was excited and ordered the imperial chef to cook four dishes that had never been eaten before. The imperial chef was highly skilled, and in a short while he brought out four special dishes: squirrel mandarin fish, money shrimp cake, ivory chicken strips and sunflower meat, which were well shaped and delicious, and the Sui Dynasty Emperor even praised them, and these four dishes were handed down. In the Tang Dynasty, once Wei Zhi, the Duke of Guoguo, feasted on guests, and the famous chef Wei Juyuan also made these four dishes. When everyone saw that the flesh of the flower heart in this dish was round like the head of a male lion, they toasted the Duke of Guogong: Gong Hansheng was a horse, with outstanding military achievements, "should be equipped with nine lions and a handsome seal", it is better to rename the sunflower offering as a lion's head. Since then, the big meat circle has had a new name of lion's head.

Although there are lion heads in many parts of the country, the Yangzhou lion head is the most authentic. The pork used should be fresh, fine and tender, three points fat and seven points thin; cut more and less, cut into small pieces next to the knife; the mustard powder should be smeared on the hands, so that the meatballs kneaded are not easy to break; the meatballs are fried until slightly yellow, and then simmered. The lion's head thus made melts in the mouth and needs to be scooped with a spoon, and the taste is excellent.