The story
Kung pao chicken is named after Ding Baozhen, a Qing official from Guizhou who served as governor of Shandong and then governor-general of Sichuan from 1876 until his death in 1886. His honorary title, Gongbao, or palace guardian, gave the dish its name. Stories differ on whether he brought the recipe from Guizhou, picked it up in Shandong, or had his kitchen in Chengdu create it, but it took its classic form in Sichuan with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper and peanuts. During the Cultural Revolution it was renamed for a time to hide its link to an imperial official.
Rival claims
Guizhou (Ding Baozhen's home province, around Guiyang) and Shandong (where he was governor first) both claim a share, and Guizhou has its own gongbao style. The dish took its classic form in Sichuan, and Chengdu, the provincial capital where Ding served, is the most common attribution.
Also known as gong bao chicken, gongbao jiding, kung po chicken.
On the Meridish menu
Kung Pao chicken was the main course on menu No. 5 on October 5, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Diced chicken, peanuts and tongue-numbing peppercorns, named after a 19th-century provincial governor.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- thedailymeal.com/1525375/how-kung-pao-chicken-got-name
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding_Baozhen
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Pao_chicken
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
