The origin of Sichuan's famous dish Kung Pao Chicken and what "Kung Pao" refers to in it.

　　Kung Pao Chicken It is a popular Sichuan dish, although many people enjoy it, few know the origin of Kung Pao Chicken and what "Kung Pao" actually refers to in the dish.

Kung Pao Chicken was created by Ding Baozhen during the Qing Dynasty. Due to his meritorious service in defending against the enemy, he was promoted to "Prince Bao" and was known as "Ding Kung Pao," so the dish was named Kung Pao Chicken, with "Kung Pao" referring to Ding Baozhen.

Ding Baozhen was originally from Pingyuan, Guizhou. It is said that he also had a good understanding of cooking, especially a fondness for stir-fried chicken.Chicken and fried peanuts and rice and a preference for spicy food. While serving as a governor in Shandong, he instructed his cook to modify the Shandong dish of "stir-fried chicken with spicy sauce" and transform it into a spicy stir-fried version, which became a private dish of the Ding family.Shandong cuisine He also realized that adding peanuts to the spicy stir-fried chicken made it even more delicious.

So, when he was transferred to Sichuan as a governor, he instructed his cook to add fried peanuts to the spicy stir-fried chicken every time he hosted a banquet.This dish quickly became popular among guests and spread throughout Sichuan, becoming a well-known dish not only in the Sichuan government but also among ordinary people. Ding Baozhen served as a governor in Sichuan for 10 years, during which he made many achievements before dying in office in the 11th year of the Qing Emperor, Guangxu. The Qing Emperor, to honor Ding Baozhen's achievements, promoted him to "Prince Bao.""Prince Bao" was a title of honor in the Qing Dynasty, similar to "Grand Scholar," "Scholar," etc. These titles were bestowed upon important officials by the Emperor.

After the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor, the titles "Grand Scholar" were no longer commonly used, and "Scholar" became the most common title. Therefore, these high-ranking titles were also referred to as "Kung Pao," which means "Scholar bestowed by the court."Therefore, Ding Baozhen, who was promoted to "Prince Bao" after his death, naturally became known as "Ding Kung Pao."

Due to Ding Baozhen's good deeds for the people of Sichuan during his time as a governor in Sichuan, as well as the deliciousness of his spicy stir-fried chicken with peanuts, the people of Sichuan named the dish "Kung Pao Chicken" in his honor.

Thus, the spicy stir-fried chicken with peanuts gained its official name. This is the origin of Kung Pao Chicken.

Postscript:Kung Pao Chicken is a very popular dish that has evolved into many different variations in different regions, and some people even transformed the chicken into meat, resulting in delicious Kung Pao meat.

When Kung Pao Chicken spread to the West, it was further adapted by Westerners, resulting in "Western-style Kung Pao Chicken" that suits Western tastes.

Epilogue:

The dish of Kung Pao Chicken is widely circulated, and many different variations have emerged in different regions, with some people even transforming the chicken into meat. The resulting Kung Pao Meat is also very delicious. After Kung Pao Chicken was introduced to the West, it was further modified by Westerners to create "Western-style Kung Pao Chicken" that suits Western tastes.