Thousand-Layer Meat

Thousand-Layer Meat

　　Hubei specialty—Thousand-Layer Meat, made primarily with pork belly. It is a traditional famous dish in the Hubei region and one of the “Three Big Bowls” served at traditional banquets in the Jiangling area of Hubei.

　　 Specialty Culture: Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a prime minister named Duan Wenchang, who was a well-known food connoisseur far and wide. He often tasted all kinds of foods and had considerable knowledge about Chinese culinary culture. At the same time, he was also an expert in cooking. The dishes he prepared were easy to cook, used common ingredients, looked colorful, and tasted delicious. After years of practice, he compiled several volumes of recipes himself. The famous dish “Thousand-Layer Meat” was his original creation. During the reign of Emperor Muzong of the Tang Dynasty, when Duan Wenchang returned to his hometown to visit family, he hosted a banquet for relatives and friends. The chef prepared many dishes, among which was one shaped like a comb, called “Comb Meat.” The pieces were large and fatty, looking so greasy that almost no one wanted to eat them. After the banquet, Duan Wenchang approached the chef who made the dish and suggested improvements. He instructed the chef to replace the fatty meat with pork belly from the ribs, swap fried pepper with black bean paste, and add seasonings such as scallions and ginger. Then, Duan Wenchang personally demonstrated how to prepare it. A few days later, when Duan Wenchang was about to leave his hometown, he hosted another banquet for the villagers. The chef followed his advice and remade the “Comb Meat.” This time, the dish had a golden color, tender meat, a delicious flavor, and was rich but not greasy—completely different from the previous version. As soon as it was served, the guests eagerly tried it and it was quickly eaten up. People asked what this dish was called. Seeing that the meat slices were as thin as paper, Duan Wenchang casually named it “Thousand-Layer Meat.” Thus, the dish gradually made its way onto the dining tables of households and restaurants of all sizes. It has been continuously improved by professionals and has been passed down to this day. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, General En, a Manchu officer stationed in Jingzhou, once opened a shop to serve this dish, but failed to master its essence. The “Thousand-Layer Meat” he served was greasy and fatty, causing customers to gradually lose interest. Taking the opportunity of a trip to the capital to report on his duties, General En learned that two imperial chefs, Xiao Dai and Zhang, were about to return to their hometown of Jingzhou to retire. Using his authority, he hired the two chefs as head cooks. Chefs Xiao and Zhang followed the key techniques that Duan Wenchang had used when making the dish. On the basis of the original method for making “Thousand-Layer Meat,” they changed the 20 thick slices of meat into 80 thin slices, replaced pickled vegetable leaves at the bottom with Liuyang fermented black beans, and added Sichuan peppercorns and fermented tofu juice, along with seasonings like scallions and ginger. They first steamed the dish over high heat, and then steamed it again thoroughly just before serving. This changed the traditional greasy taste and monotonous ingredients, and revitalized the official restaurant business.

　　 Specialty Benefits: “Thousand-Layer Meat” is made primarily with pork belly, going through three processes: boiling, frying, and steaming. The finished dish has a bright red color, soft and tender meat slices that are not greasy, a rich and mellow flavor that is neither mushy nor bland, and a deliciously sweet and salty aroma.