Healthy Recipes by Gabrielle Cooper-WeiszWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Have you ever wondered where the famous Chinese food ludagun (rolling donkey) got its name? And what is the story behind fuqi feipian (husband and wife lung pieces)? This article will reveal the intriguing origin stories behind the names of various Chinese dishes.
There are plenty of ways to name a Chinese dish, all of which reflect the distinctiveness and rich history of China's culinary culture.
Naming after a person
Chinese people often name a dish after its creator, both as a gesture of gratitude and to memorialize them.
Dongpo Pork by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Dongpo Pork
This dish is named after Su Dongpo, a well-known poet in ancient China. Su Dongpo was adept at cooking, and particularly excelled in braised pork. The people of Xuzhou once gave him pork belly as a gift, which he braised and sent back to them. After tasting the dish, everyone lavished it with praise. Henceforth, people referred to the dish as "Dongpo Pork".
Taibai Duck by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Taibai Duck
This dish is named after the famous ancient poet Li Bai. In his younger days in Sichuan, Li Bai was very fond of eating the local specialty of braised and steamed duck. Later when Li Bai assumed his office in the palace, he refined the dish by adding ingredients such as huadiaojiu (semi-dry Shaoxing wine), wolfberry, and Chinese ginseng. He presented the new and improved dish to Emperor Xuanzong, who enjoyed it immensely and dubbed the dish "Taibai Duck".
Naming after a place
Many Chinese dishes are named after the location where the main ingredient originates from or the place where the dish was created.
Da Dong's "Superlean" Peking duckWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Peking Duck
This dish is made by roasting Beijing ducks that have been force-fed. Peking duck originates from Nanjing roast duck, which is a dish that was exclusive to the palace. It was only after an emperor during the Ming dynasty, Zhu Di, moved the capital to Beijing that the dish became popular amongst the common people and got the name Peking duck.
招牌骨汤牛肉面World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Lanzhou Beef Noodles
A member of the Dongxiang people in the Gansu region learned the technique of making spiced beef noodle soup from elsewhere and proceeded to bring it back to Lanzhou. Subsequent innovation, refinement, and development amongst the populace led to the creation of "Lanzhou beef." Time-honored Lanzhou Beef Noodles now enjoy a positive reputation worldwide, having received praise from gastronomes the world over. They are often praised as the best noodles in China.
Naming after ancient stories
A dish is instantaneously imbued with greater meaning when there is a historical story behind it.
Pork with Plum Vegetables1 by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Steamed Pork with Mei Cai
It is said due to the impact of wartime conditions, a family by the name of Lu had exhausted all of their savings. Mrs. Lu started to help her husband cultivate the land. One day, when her son was crying out of hunger, a lady descended from the heavens and handed Mrs. Lu a pack of seeds. Mrs. Lu asked her name. All the woman said in response was, "I claim no reward for saving the lives of those who struggle. Mei is my name."
Pork with Plum Vegetables2 by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Mrs. Lu sowed the seeds with her husband and slaved over them. When the plants matured, they were bursting with a refreshing sweetness. Since the seeds were bestowed by the nymph Mei, the plant was named "mei cai" (cai means vegetable). Later, the Hakka people steamed slices of pork belly and placed mei cai at the bottom. The dish gave off a strong fragrance and was very palatable, and came to be called "steamed pork with mei cai".
Crossing-bridge Noodles by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles
There are a lot of speculative origin stories regarding the name of this dish, of which this is one. In the days of yore, a scholar studied assiduously on an island located in the middle of a lake. His wife wanted to send him a bowl of warm noodles. After some experimentation, she found a layer of chicken fat on the surface would keep the soup warm, and that adding the ingredients and rice noodles right before eating would increase the flavor of the dish.
She proceeded to pour melted chicken fat into the broth, and then prepared a variety of cooked rice noodles and ingredients, which were to be placed into the soup after arriving on the island. She needed to cross a bridge to reach the island, so when the cooking technique became popular, people named the dish "crossing-the-bridge noodles" to commemorate this dutiful and wise woman.
Lvdagun1 by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
As for any lingering confusion regarding fuqi feipian and ludagun mentioned at the beginning of this article, keep reading and you will soon get the answer!
Sliced Beef and Ox Organs in Chilli Sauce (Mr and Mrs Smith) by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Fuqi Feipian
This is a famous traditional dish in Sichuan. Its name originated from a story in which a couple processed beef offal and then poured fresh sauce on it, which itself later became a famous dish.
Though it is called feipian (lung pieces), modern iterations of the dish do not include any lung. This is because the couple later found that bovine lungs took away from the freshness of the dish, which led to them excluding it from the list of ingredients. Now the main ingredients for fuqi feipian usually consist of bovine heart, tongue, tripe, and beef. It is renowned for its tender, refreshing, and chewy mouthfeels, as well as bold spicy flavor.
Lvdagun2 by SHAANXI TOURISM CUISINE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGEWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Ludagun (Rolling donkey)
Ludagun is a traditional Beijing snack. Some pastry is first shaped and then rolled in soybean flour to get an even coating. This action resembles a donkey rolling in the dirt, so this snack is named ludagun (rolling donkey).
Roasted Chicken by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
There are other delicacies like beggar's chicken, the conqueror's farewell to his concubine, eight immortals and the arhat, and more. Each of these dishes has its own fascinating backstory.
脆皮大虾 (2020) by Zhang XinxinWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
If you are intrigued by the origin of the names of Chinese delicacies, feel free to ask any surrounding diners whenever you are in China. We are sure that they will be more than happy to enlighten you!
