Chibi Meat Cake

Chibi Meat Cake

　　Meat cake is a renowned dish at both Chinese and international banquets, but the people of Chibi have a special fondness for it, making it a longstanding local tradition. It is an indispensable dish at weddings, funerals, and other celebratory feasts, often served as the first course. There’s even a saying among locals: “No feast is complete without meat cake.”

Speaking of meat cake, its origins are quite extraordinary, and there’s also an interesting story behind it. Legend has it that the King of Chu was obsessed with eating fish but frequently got irritated by fish bones getting stuck in his throat, which led to many chefs losing their lives. Later, a chef from Chibi accidentally discovered while cleaning a fish that the bones could be easily separated from the flesh. He then minced the deboned fish meat together with pork, seasoned it, and steamed it into solid pieces. The King of Chu was delighted when he tried it. Thus, meat cake was born and quickly gained fame. From that time on, after the chef retired and passed down the technique to the public, people came to regard meat cake as the finest dish fit for an imperial banquet. To this day, the people of Chibi continue to love and savor meat cake, and its popularity never fades.