Golden Meat

Golden Meat

　　"Golden Meat" is an ancient Manchu imperial dish with a rich courtly heritage. It was once ranked as the foremost delicacy of the Manchu people. Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, it became customary to serve this dish as the first course at grand ceremonies and banquets. Legend has it that this exquisite dish was created by Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, whose personal name was Aisin Gioro.

　　Legend has it that in his early years, before rising to prominence, the Manchu man Nurhaci experienced a decline in his family’s fortunes and once wandered to the area of Fushun in Liaoning Province. Initially, he worked as a kitchen helper in the household of a Jurchen tribal chief. This tribal leader was very particular about food and drink, insisting on eight dishes and one soup for every meal, all served on golden platters with fine presentation. On one occasion when hosting guests, the chief assigned a female servant skilled in cooking to prepare the meal, with Nurhaci assisting her. When the servant had just finished preparing the seventh dish, she suddenly fainted. At that moment, the guests in the outer hall were waiting for the final dish to be served. In a moment of quick thinking, Nurhaci, who was helping out, quickly took some sliced tenderloin, coated it in egg yolk, stir-fried it swiftly in hot oil, and served it on a plate. The tribal chief tasted it and found the flavor remarkably different and especially delicious. After the banquet, he inquired about the reason. The servant had no choice but to tell the truth. Pleased, the chief then called for Nurhaci and asked the name of the dish. To bring good fortune, Nurhaci replied, "It is called Golden Meat."

　　Later, after Nurhaci rose to power and became the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty — and thus the first ancestor of the Qing Dynasty — he made it a rule to serve Golden Meat at every major ceremony, and would personally recount the story behind it. As a result, successive emperors of the Qing Dynasty regarded Golden Meat as the supreme delicacy, as a way of honoring their ancestors’ grace and favor. The story was passed down and became a celebrated tale.