Ruijin Fish Ball Production Technique (Third Batch Provincial Level) Fish balls are a traditional delicacy in southern Jiangxi, originating from Ruijin and enjoying a reputation for more than a thousand years. The traditional production of fish balls has a long history. As early as the third year of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty, that is, in 715 AD, it was first created by fishmongers at that time. The local agricultural proverb says: "First there was fish ball soup, then in Ruijin County", which shows that it has a long history. Ruijin fish balls have evolved from "fish balls" in the early days to a level of perfection in taste and color after market promotion, technological improvements, unique material selection, fine ingredients, and strict processing. In the autumn of 1776, Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River via Xunyang (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi), and Lai Tongqing was recruited to make imperial meals. Qianlong praised the fish ball soup and personally gave it a new name of "fish balls". Later, fish ball soup was included in the "Imperial Meal Recipe". From then on, Ruijin fish balls went from the folk to the court and became famous all over the world. Lai Tongqing also became the first person to make fish balls. Since the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, the skill of making fish balls has been mainly limited to the inheritance of the culinary industry, because fish balls have entered the menu of the host (banquet), and together with meat balls and braised pork, they form the "three famous dishes" of the host. In Ruijin banquets, the chef's skills are generally judged by the taste of fish balls and meat balls, and the generosity of the host is judged by the amount of braised pork (also known as pot meat). Therefore, fish balls and meat balls have become the top priority in cooking. After the founding of New China, with the improvement of living standards, more and more families have the ability to hold banquets, and the original number of chefs has been overwhelmed. Therefore, chefs have taken on more apprentices. Under this master-apprentice model, a group of masters who have fully mastered the skills of making fish balls have emerged.