东坡肉 (dōngpōròu) · Dongpo pork

Measure Word

一块东坡肉 kuài

Meanings

1 Dongpo pork

Made with

About the dish

浙菜 Zhejiang · 热菜 Hot dish

Thick squares of pork belly with the skin on, braised for hours in soy sauce, rice wine and sugar until soft enough to cut with chopsticks. Rich, sweet and savoury, and about half fat. Often served one square to a small pot.

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

到杭州必尝一块东坡肉。

Dào Hángzhōu bì cháng yíkuài dōngpōròu.

In Hangzhou you must try a cube of Dongpo pork.

HSK 7-9

东坡肉讲究肥而不腻，酥而不烂。

Dōngpōròu jiǎngjiu féi ér bú nì, sū ér bú làn.

Dongpo pork aims to be fatty but not greasy, tender but not falling apart.

Tips

history

Named for Northern Song poet Su Shi 苏轼 (Su Dongpo 苏东坡). Exiled to Huangzhou 黄州 (1080), he wrote 《猪肉颂》 praising slow-cooked pork ('慢著火，少著水，火候足时它自美'). Later, as governor of Hangzhou (1089), he supervised the dredging of West Lake and rewarded labourers with braised pork - the Hangzhou version is the one that bears his name today.