China is a country famous for poems and many Chinese dishes are given poetic names that evoke emotions and visions. In this way Chinese cuisine is an exalted form of art. So sometimes it is difficult to guess what it is from the names of the dishes. Therefore, more and more foreigners are attracted by Chinese dishes.
China is a country famous for poems and many Chinese dishes are given poetic names that evoke emotions and visions. In this way Chinese cuisine is an exalted form of art. So sometimes it is difficult to guess what it is from the names of the dishes. Therefore, more and more foreigners are attracted by Chinese dishes.
宫保鸡丁（gōng bǎo jī dīng ）Gongbao Chicken Cubes
It is the most popular dish among foreigners; most of who likes the crisp peanut. There are some mystiques that surround the origin of certain recipe names. Comparatively, it is a clear name for one can grasp the main materials- chicken cubes from its name. It's common knowledge that this dish is named after an official.
叫化鸡（jiào huà jī）Begger's Chicken
It is also known as 富贵鸡（fù guì jī）for southern businessmen don’t like its inauspicious name despite of its delicious taste, for they are afraid that it may make them lose money with the bad luck brought by beggars. It also has a legend or folklore on its origination. A homeless, starving beggar is wandering along a road when he catches sight of a chicken. Desperate for food, he kills the chicken by wringing its neck. Lacking a stove, he covers the chicken in mud, makes a fire and bakes it.
At this point an Emperor passes by with his entourage. Attracted by the aroma of the baked chicken, he stops and dines with the beggar, demanding to know how he created such a delicious meal. "Beggar's chicken" is subsequently added to the list of dishes served at the Imperial court.
狮子头（shī zǐ tóu ）Lions-Head Shaped Meat Ball
Referring to this dish, a worse translation is the heads of lions. Some foreigners who first hear about it would be puzzled. In fact, it’s not horrible at all, on the contrary, it is tantalizing. There are usually two kinds of ways to make it, 红烧 （hongshao）and 清蒸 （Qingzheng）, the former is also known as the braised on, and the latter the steamed on.
蚂蚁上树（ mǎ yǐ shàng shù ）Ants Creeping up a Tree
When you see such a title on the menu, what will be your reaction? Only ghost know what is it unless one ask for detail. It is a novelty name and has fooled many people’s expectation before they saw the dish served on table. The fact is: the morsels of ground black beef or pork are supposed to represent "ants", which are climbing onto pale yellow vermicelli noodles making up the "tree." In any event, this recipe has an advantage over the others in that it doesn't require a great deal of preparation.