The origin of this dish dates back to the Song Dynasty and is associated with a famous poet from that era, Su DongPo, who was renowned not only as a poet but also for his culinary skills, especially for his preparation of pork.
Due to political issues stemming from criticising the emperor, he was exiled and lived in poverty in Hangzhou. It is said that one day Su was preparing a slow-cooked pork stew; a friend visited him, and they got caught up playing Chinese chess, losing track of time. Until a delicious aroma distracted them from the game, and when Su turned to see the stove, he saw that the pot was burning, and from that moment he fell in love with cooking upon tasting that meat, which had become a delicacy.
The story goes that after some time, Su was supervising work near Lake XiHu, which was at risk of being destroyed by terrible floods.
He summoned more than ten thousand men to divert the river's course, and as a token of gratitude for their successful work, the town's inhabitants brought him kilos of pork. Not knowing what to do with so much meat, Su asked his cooks to prepare it according to his recipe to share with the families of the workers along with a bottle of wine.
The cooks misunderstood Su's request and added the wine to the meat.
This is how this exquisite dish was created.
