Jiaohuaji

Jiaohuaji	Jiaohuaji

Jiaohuaji, or Beggar's chicken, made by roasting a whole chicken in a ball of mud, is a favorite Hangzhou dish with amusing mythical origins.
Legend has it that long time ago; a beggar managed to get his hands on a chicken, but was unsure of what to do with it. So he killed it, plucked it, wrapped it in a lotus leaf and then covered the whole thing in a ball of mud, either to protect it or to hide it. When his hunger overtook him, he simply threw the mud-ball into a fire. Later, when the mud had dried into a solid block, he took it off the fire and broke the hardened clay open. The fragrance of the chicken, literally cooked in its own juices, bowled him over and the meat tasted even better.
Later, this kind of method to make chicken was adopted and improved by some restaurant runners. Thus the Jiaohuaji become famous for its unique taste. At present, Jiaohuaji has reportedly been a standard in Hangzhou ever since.