At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, famous chefs in Wuxi cut live eels into thin strips, fried them until they were crispy, and then braised them in a thick marinade made of wine, soy sauce, sugar, monosodium glutamate, and five-spice powder. Sweet and crunchy at times, it is an excellent accompaniment to wine. Later it became famous in Jiangsu and became a traditional specialty in Wuxi.