◎Er'mao Roast Chicken

Er'mao Roast Chicken is one of the famous traditional dishes in Daming. The restaurant was founded in 1809 in the west of the southern section of the Cross Street in the Prefecture of Daming. As its founder,Wang Dexing was nicknamed “Er'mao.” He preferred to place two stone cats in the pot where the roast chickens were cooked,and the dish was commonly known as Er'mao Chicken. Wang Guozhen,Er'mao's successor,thought that the name was not elegant,so he renamed the dish as Zhenjicheng Roast Chicken in 1879 (meaning treasure,research and fame). However,people still call it Er'mao Roast Chicken. According to legend,during the reign of Emperor Daoguang in Qing Dynasty,a newly appointed governor,who was on his way to take up his official duties,passed by the restaurant. The smell lured him off his sedan. He tasted the chicken and asked for its name,and then wrote a poem for it. Since then,Er'mao roast chicken became famous all over the city. It ranked first on the list of the Eight Famous Local Flavors in Handan,and was awarded famous snacks in Handan. In 1999,it was also recognized as China's Time-honored Brand by National Trade Ministry.(https://www.daowen.com)