Lychee pork is commonly associated with the cuisines of
Fuzhou and
Putian. Its creation can be traced back to the
Tang dynasty, and the dish is considered to be a prominent strand of
Min cuisine. Despite its name, it does not contain the
lychee fruit. Its name is instead derived from the appearance of the dish, in which the red and curled fried pieces of pork resemble the skin of lychee. The origin of the dish is attributed to a legend involving
Mei, a royal consort of
the Xuanzong Emperor of the Jiang clan. The consort, who came from Putian, was said to be frequently
homesick, due to the distance of the imperial court from her hometown. Lychees from Putian were said to cure her despondency but were rarely available due to the difficulty of transporting the fruit. It is believed that the chef employed by Mei, Jiang (), devised a recipe to cook meat so that it resembled lychees. Mei was later killed in the
Anshi Rebellion, and the chef was believed to have escaped and fled back to Fujian, bringing the dish with him. ==See also==