800多年前，西湖的孤山上，有一家姓宋的人，男主人宋五哥去世了，留下宋五嫂和十二三歲的小弟弟。“長嫂如母”，宋嫂理所當(dāng)然地?fù)?dān)當(dāng)起照顧小叔的責(zé)任，他們在西湖邊捕魚為生。一天，小叔得了重感冒，身體虛弱，胃口不開。宋嫂剛打了一網(wǎng)好魚回來，她準(zhǔn)備給小叔補(bǔ)補(bǔ)身子。她一邊把魚放進(jìn)油鍋里炸，一邊就想，怎么能變個(gè)法兒，把魚做得鮮美好吃，又沒有魚腥味呢？想著想著，就走神兒了。她把手邊的醋當(dāng)做醬油，糖當(dāng)成鹽，藕粉當(dāng)成豆粉，調(diào)了一碗汁，就往鍋里倒，當(dāng)她聞到甜甜酸酸的味兒，已經(jīng)來不及了。誰知，小叔剛嘗了一口，竟胃口大開，狼吞虎咽地把魚吃個(gè)精光。之后幾天，宋嫂天天都給小叔做糖醋魚吃，小叔很快就恢復(fù)了健康。左鄰右舍都來跟宋嫂學(xué)做這道菜，大家叫它“宋嫂魚”。

Eight hundred years ago，on Solitary hill near the West Lake，there lived a family.The host Song Wuge died，leaving his wife Song Sao and a younger brother who was only twelve years old.Song Sao fostered the little boy as a mother.They made a living by fishing.Once the boy caught a serious cold and didn’t want to eat anything.Song Sao caught some fish in the West Lake.She wanted to cook some delicious dish for the boy.She put the fish to be fried and thought about how to cook it more deliciously.She mixed the vinegar，sugar and the lotus root starch together instead of soy sauce，salt and bean powder when she was absent-minded，and put the bowl of juice to the pan.When she realized，it was too late.But when the little boy tasted it，he had a very good appetite unexpectedly.he gobbled up all the fish in two minutes.In the next days，Song Sao always cooked the fish for the boy with vinegar，sugar and lotus root starch.The boy got well soon.Their neighbors learned to cook the fish in that way and they called it “Song Sao Yu (Song Sao Fish)”.

那年春天，皇帝在西湖蕩舟游玩，暖風(fēng)吹過，一股甜酸味飄來，皇帝問左右：“什么味兒，這么香？”左右告訴他是“宋嫂魚”?；实垴R上脫下龍袍，換上便服，走到茅屋。宋嫂正在燒魚，皇帝一看，這宋嫂頗有姿色，比宮里的娘娘多了幾分自然美，情不自禁地說：“魚好，人更美?！彼紊┎淮罾怼；实垡患?，就說漏了嘴：“美人兒，跟我去宮里享福吧。”這下，宋嫂知道站在自己面前的就是那位昏君，就說：“龍船難載我賣魚婦，請自重?！被实叟隽艘槐亲拥幕?，氣呼呼地走了。宋嫂知道兇多吉少，連夜帶著小叔逃離了杭州城。住在孤山上的人們還常常做糖醋魚吃，但怕沖犯皇帝，就改稱“西湖醋魚”。

One spring，the Emperor took a tour around the West Lake.he smelt the fragrance of the fish and asked，“The smell is so nice.What’s it？”The official told him it was Song Sao Fish.The Emperor took off his robe at once and went to the thatched cottage.Song Sao was cooking the fish.The emperor saw Song Sao was quite pretty with more natural beauty than the ladies in the palace.he said，“The fish are good and you are beautiful.My beauty，come with me to the palace，you will live in ease and comfort.”Song Sao knew it was the fatuous and self-indulgent ruler when hearing the word “palace”.She said，“I am only a common villager.I have no interest in living in the palace.”The emperor left in disappointment.Song Sao knew it would be fraught with grim possibilities and left hangzhou with her younger brother at the night.her neighbors renamed the dish as “Xi hu Cu Yu”(West Lake Vinegar Fish)in order not to offend the Emperor.