The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour / Emperor Qianlong South Inspection Tour

6 scroll (12)

On the 6th scroll, we see Emperor Qianlong riding a horse to Suzhou.

The name of Emperor Qianlong is associated with a dish - a pearl of the culinary heritage of Suzhou - Carp squirrel.
Legend has it that once, on one of his inspection trips in southern China, Emperor Qianlong visited the city of Suzhou and, dressed in common clothes, wandered the streets for a long time, listening to the conversations of the townspeople.
Hungry, the emperor went to the Pine and Crane restaurant. Seeing fresh carp on the sacrificial altar (according to some sources, it was a Chinese perch - auha), Qianlong ordered to cook this fish for him. Despite the fact that the fish laid on the altar was intended as a sacrifice to the gods and ancestors, but not for food, the cook could not refuse the visitor, as he recognized him as the emperor.

To avoid the wrath of the gods, the chef prepared the fish so that it resembled a squirrel in shape, since the word for squirrel (松鼠, songshu) was pronounced in tune with the name of his restaurant (松鶴, songhe). The Emperor liked the dish very much, and the chef received the highest praises.

Since then, fish prepared in this way has become known as protein fish. The dish quickly gained popularity throughout China and can now be found on the menu of any reputable Chinese restaurant.