Dong'an chicken

Dongan Chicken is a classic Hunan dish. Its cooking method originated from Dong'an County, Hunan Province. According to legend, as early as the first year of Tang Xuanzong, Dong'an people began to make vinegar chicken. The vinegar chicken was renamed Dong'an Chicken in two ways: One said that it was because the Xiang military commander in the late Qing Dynasty, Dong Baoan Shi Baotian often named the dish as a dinner party; another said that after the victory of the Northern Expedition, the Eighth Army of the National Revolutionary Army The military commander, Tang Shengzhi, hosted a banquet in Nanjing. The meal was accompanied by a dish of vinegar and chicken. The guests praised the host. The guests asked about the name of the dish. Tang Shengzhi felt that the original name was indecent and he changed it. He said that it called was Dong'an chicken in his hometown.

Dong'an chicken has experienced the evolution of three dynasties: In the Western Jin Dynasty, it was called "Vinegar Chicken." In the Western Jin Dynasty; Huiyi Yonghee first year (290) established a county government on the shore of Yingshui, called Yingyang County (now Luhong Town). At that time, he was appointed as the county magistrate and held a grand celebration ceremony. He called the villagers to come and congratulate him. He invited the local chef to scoop the spoon and feast. According to the customs of that time, when the regular banquet reached the fifth course there was chicken, called "chicken opening." That time the "chicken mouth" tasted a little bit sour. The acid and sourness opened up the diners' appetites. After the party was seated, the county commander called the chef and asked him how he thought to season vinegar in the chicken. The chef was busy kneeling on the floor and said, “I don’t mean to be guilty. I was not deliberate. I was very anxious at the time and wrongly put my vinegar into my wine. In order to remove vinegar, I immediately added some pepper and ginger. Let the adults sin!” The prefecture laughed and said happily: “What sins are it! Get up! Everyone says that the vinegar chicken is delicious! I told you to come to honor you!” Who knows? Coincidence actually created a famous dish. Since then, the practice of "vinegar chicken" has spread among the people.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was called "Official Protection of Chicken." In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the Xiang army would take the chair Bao Tian because of the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the uprising of the Miao of Guizhou, and the Qing court seals Bao Shitian as the doctor of Guang Lu, and was awarded the title of “Prince Shao Shaobao”, which was highly valued by the court. In the late years, Bao Baotian was called sick and lived in Huaqiao. Once, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Liu Kunyi waited for a visit to the seat of Shibao Tianjia and the boiler was filled with the “vinegar chicken”. In order to increase the umami taste, the family kitchen added some old milk curd sauce to the “vinegar chicken”. The "vinegar chicken" made was not only hot and sour but also crispy. When Zeng Guofan and others ate and praised him when Zuo Zongtang asked the name of the dish, Mr. Xi Baotian wanted to say “Vinegar Chicken,” but he couldn't think of the name too. Zeng Guofan intervened and said: “This is a special product of the Xiguan Bao’ an family, and it is called 'guanbao chicken'!” Zuo Zongtang and Liu Kunyi accompanied and said: “Yeah! The name of the famous home will be famous, the official will protect the chicken, good name!” Since then, The dish was passed down through the court.

In the Republic of China, it was called "Dong'an Chicken." In the first phase of the Northern Expedition in 1926, Tang Shengzhi, a famous patriotic general of the Chinese Kuomintang, was the commander of the frontier enemy of the Northern Expedition. After the victory of the Northern Expedition, Tang Shengzhi settled in Nanjing. In order to celebrate the victory of the Northern Expedition, he hosted a banquet for his men and colleagues in Nanjing, and a “police officer” was placed between the banquets. His private chef is Wu Jiaqiao and he is more particular about cooking. The first choice of chicken must be a female chicken that has not had an egg and weighs no more than one and a half kilograms; the firepower is just right when it is produced, and the blood in the chicken bone is bright red; on the cutting edge method, a chicken is cut apart from the internal organs. Into sixteen, placed on a plate, is exactly a complete chicken. After his subordinates and colleagues had eaten, they all said that the dish was beautiful in appearance, bright in color, fresh in flesh, refreshing in sourness, fat, but not greasy, eating too much, scented, nutritious, sweet, sour, sour, spicy, Tender, crisp, and tasteful. Asked what the name of this dish was, Tang Shengzhi was about to open his mouth. Gu Boxu, next to him, reminded: “Hometown cuisine is hometown cuisine.” Tang Shengzhi immediately said: “This is our Dongan special dish called 'Dong'an Chicken'.” Tang Shengzhi's diplomacy Hospitality often uses "Dong'an Chicken" as a pressing seat. Guo Moruo's "Hong Bo Ji" also records: During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Tang Shengzhi hosted a banquet in the mansion of the Shui Lu State in Changsha. Among them, Dong Anji's dish taste was particularly good. In February 1972, when the U.S. president visited China, Mao Zedong hosted a dinner for Nixon and Dong'an chicken was also served during the dinner. Nixon praised the dish while eating it. After returning home, he also greatly appreciated the excellent taste of Dong'an Chicken. Soon it came to Southeast Asia, North America, Jordan, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and other countries. Since then, Dong’an Chicken has been listed as a national feast and is the first of eight Hunan cuisines.