| Dongpo pork | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 东坡肉 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 東坡肉 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||
| Kana | ドンポーロウ | ||||||||||
| Katakana | トンポーロウ | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Dongpo pork (simplified Chinese: 东坡肉; traditional Chinese: 東坡肉; pinyin: dōngpōròu), also known as Dongpo meat,[1] is a Hangzhou dish[2] made by pan-frying and then red-cooking pork belly.[3] The pork is typically cut into thick, approximately 5 centimeter (2.0 inch) squares, with an even distribution of fat and lean meat, while retaining the skin. The texture is tender and juicy without being excessively greasy, accompanied by a fragrant aroma of wine. The dish is named in honor of Su Dongpo (Su Shi), a distinguished Song Dynasty poet and gastronome.[4]
While facing financial hardship during his exile in Huangzhou following the Crow Terrace Poetry Trial, Su Dongpo innovated upon the conventional method of preparing pork. He marinated the pork in a mixture of huangjiu (yellow wine), rock sugar, and soy sauce, and simmered it on low heat for long hours. He composed a poem titled "An Ode to Pork", where he described that pork was a most affordable meat source locally, and by a slowing cooking method, he obtained both a delicacy and a survival food for the families.[5] The recipe was subsequently adopted and developed by people in the Hangzhou area, the capital city of South Song Dynasty.
In Chinese Gastronomy, Lin Hsiang Ju and Lin Tsuifeng included the recipe "The Fragrance of Pork: Tungpo Pork", and remarked 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."[6]
