"lion's head" means "big meat chop" in Yangzhou dialect and "big meatball" or "Four Joy Meetballs" in northern dialect. It is said that its "distant ancestor" is the "jumping pill roasting" recorded in the Food Classic of the Northern and Southern Dynasties ("Qi Min Yao Shu. Roasting Method Eighty").

according to historical records, when Emperor Yangdi and his concubines went south along the Grand Canal in a dragon boat and thousands of ships, "every county he passed was ordered to offer food within 5 miles. A state to a hundred miles, extremely rare land and water "("Zi Zhi Tong Jian "). Yang Guang saw the Qionghua in Yangzhou, especially the four famous scenic spots of Wansongshan, Qiandun, Ivory Forest and Sunflower Hill in Yangzhou. After returning to the palace, he ordered the chef to make four dishes with the above four scenes as the theme. Under the guidance of Yangzhou famous chefs, the royal chefs finally made four dishes: Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, money shrimp cake, sliced chicken with elephant buds and chopped meat with sunflower. After Yang Guang tasted it, he was very happy, so he gave a banquet to the ministers, and Huaiyang cuisine became popular in the ruling and opposition.

in the Tang dynasty, with the prosperity of economy, officials and dignitaries began to pay attention to diet. On one occasion, Wei Li, the Duke of Qi, gave a banquet, and Wei Juyuan, a famous chef in the government, also cooked these four famous dishes in Yangzhou, accompanied by delicacies and treasures of land and water, which amazed the guests. When the dish "cut the meat with sunflower" was served, I saw that the sunflower heart made of the huge meat ball was exquisite, like the head of a lion. The guests took the opportunity to persuade them to drink: "I have been a military horse for half my life, and I deserve to wear a lion's handsome seal." Wei Li happily raised his glass and gulped it down, saying, "To commemorate today's grand event, it is better to change the name of' Sunflower Chopping Meat' to' Lion Head'." After a shout, Yangzhou added the famous dish "Lion Head".

In the Qing Dynasty, when Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, he brought this delicacy to Kyoto and made it one of the dishes of the Qing Dynasty. During the Jiaqing period, Lin Lan, a native of Ganquan, also sang Yangzhou's "sunflower meatballs" in "Three Songs of the Hanjiang River". Its preface says: "The meat is finely chopped and coarsely chopped into pills, and fried in vegetable oil into sunflower yellow, commonly known as sunflower meatballs." Its poem says: "The guest chef has cut the silk frequently, and the sunflower has let go of the new one. When you are full, you should also think about the sun, and you will eat meat one after another. "

Yang Guang, Emperor Yangdi of Sui Dynasty, went to Yangzhou to see Qionghua, then stayed in the south of the Yangtze River and saw countless beautiful scenery. After he had visited the four famous scenic spots in Yangzhou, namely Wansongshan, Qiandun, Ivory Forest, Sunflower Hill and so on, he admired the scenic spots in the garden, and personally renamed them Qianjinshan, Maoerdun, Pingshan Hall and Qionghuaguan. After returning to the palace, I called the royal chef and asked them to make four dishes to commemorate this trip to Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. ) The chef made great efforts to make four famous dishes. These four dishes are 1 Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, 2 money shrimp cakes, 3 ivory chicken strips and 4 sunflower meat offerings. After Yang Guang tasted it, he was very happy. As a result, he gave a banquet to the ministers, which became a delicacy for a time and spread all over the south of the Yangtze River. Officials and dignitaries are also proud of having these four dishes and regard them as treasures.

in the Tang dynasty, it was rich in gold and jade. On this day, Duke Huan gave a banquet, and ordered Wei Juyuan, a famous chef in the government, to make four famous dishes: Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, money shrimp cake, ivory chicken strips and sunflower meat, accompanied by delicacies, land and water treasures. All the guests were amazed. When the sunflower was served with meat, I saw the sunflower heart made of huge meatballs, which was beautiful and really like the head of a lion. Kuai Guogong spent half his life as a military horse, and his exploits were brilliant. The guests advised him, "Gong should wear nine lions's handsome seal." Gui Guogong raised his glass and drank it off, saying, "To commemorate this evening's meeting, it is better to change sunflower meat to' lion's head'." Since then, Wei Yang's famous dishes have added a "lion's head", which is braised and steamed, and is well known.

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