東坡肉的形成與流衍初探

“With No Meat, One Becomes Thin”: The Invention and Spread of Dongpo Pork

本文嘗試從多元的研究取向來分析東坡肉在歷史上的演變情況。經過本文的考證與分析，雖然，蘇軾可能的確發明了一種豬肉烹調的方法，但是當時的人並沒有以「東坡肉」來命名之，直到明代才出現「東坡肉」一詞。東坡肉的烹飪方法也經歷長期的演變，其模式先是注意火候，進而加入多元的佐料與精心熬製的醬汁。明清時期，東坡肉並非一般庶民的家常菜，而是文人士大夫階層所喜好的佳餚。它成為明清時期士大夫與文人在宴會雅集時所搭配的重要菜餚，同時也是餽贈朋友之常見禮物。東坡肉之所以受文人士大夫之喜愛，其實是東坡崇拜下的副產品，且成為明清士大夫象徵我群認同的菜餚。至於東坡肉所以成為杭州菜的代表，其實是民國以後的事情。因為杭州菜館在往外省發展的過程中，為了與它省菜餚相區隔，於是大力宣揚東坡肉為其招牌菜，甚至虛構了蘇東坡在杭州任官時的一些傳說。最後，東坡肉也在近代向海外傳播，最明顯的例子之一就是日本。日本人接受東坡肉其實是受到中國士人文化影響下的一種仿效。

This paper analyzes the history of Dongpo pork through a variety of approaches. The dish is named after Su Shi (1036-1101), a famous scholar-poet who lived in the Song Dynasty, who was also known as Su Dongpo. Although it is possible that Su Shi might have invented a method of cooking pork, it was not called “Dongpo Pork” at the time, and the term did not appear until the Ming Dynasty. The method of cooking Dongpo pork also evolved over time. The method is described as paying attention first to the heat, and then to the variety of spices and the mixing of the sauce. In Ming and Qing times, it was not a dish for common people, but a favorite cuisine item among the literati and gentry. Dongpo pork became an important dish during elite banquets, and was also a common gift among friends. The popularity of Dongpo pork was linked to the veneration of Su Shi and the dish thus became a symbol of literati culture and identity. Dongpo pork became a main feature in Hangzhou cuisine only during the Republican Period. As Hangzhou restaurants gradually expanded their business to other parts of China, they vigorously promoted Dongpo pork as their signature dish, and even invented fictional accounts about Su Shi when he was an official in Hangzhou. Dongpo pork eventually spread overseas, most conspicuously to Japan, where it became widely regarded as a representative dish of Chinese literati culture.