Shayang Shexiang Jade Hairpin

Shayang Shexiang Jade Hairpin

　　The Shexiang Jade Hairpin was originally called Fried Rhinoceros Horn. It is made primarily with lean pork and deep-fried with ingredients such as white-shell chili peppers. It gets its name from its resemblance to a jade hairpin—tender inside, crispy outside, and spicy and delicious. Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, local officials in Shayang once served this dish to envoys sent by the Ming emperor to negotiate a surrender. Since chili peppers had only recently been introduced to China at the time, cultivation and consumption were not yet widespread. The envoy, unfamiliar with chili peppers and unaccustomed to spicy flavors, mistakenly believed that the people of Shayang had poisoned his food in an attempt to kill him, which led to the interruption of the negotiations. Fortunately, the clever wife of the local official immediately submitted a petition to the imperial court explaining the situation. After the court investigated, the official’s wife was honored with the title “Lady Shexiang.”