Japanese Chinese cuisine

Japanese Chinese cuisine, also known aschūka, represents a unique fusion ofJapaneseandChineseculinary traditions that have evolved over the late 19th century and more recent times. This style, served predominantly byChineserestaurants inJapan, stands distinct from the "authentic Chinese food" found in areas such asYokohama Chinatown. Despite this difference, the cuisine retains strong influences from various Chinese culinary styles, as seen in theshippokucooking style.
A significant number of these dishes were introduced to Japan either by Chinese immigrants or Japanese soldiers returning from theSino-Japanese war in China, creating a unique gastronomic landscape that reinterprets Chinese cuisine through a Japanese lens. This style of cuisine has found its expression in three main types of restaurants:ramenrestaurants,dim sumhouses, and standard Chinese-style restaurants. The resulting adaptations span various regional Chinese cooking styles and techniques, fromSichuan's spicy stir-fries toZhejiang's slow-cooked stews, contributing to the rich and diverse character of chūka.
Chūka(中華, short for 中華料理chūka ryōri, literally "Chinese food")is the adjective forJapanesestyle "Chinese" dishes, or the restaurants in Japan which serve them.Chuka dishes originated in China, but have become modified over the years to suit Japanese taste, often with Japanese or even Western foods. Japanese cooking styles have been added, such as in the case ofmiso-ramen.  In other cases, only the noodles are "Chinese", as in the case ofhiyashi chūka, which was invented inSendaiin 1937, and uses Western food influences such as sliced cured ham. As meat (other than fish) was not common in Japanese cooking until recently, many meat dishes, particularly pork dishes, are of Chinese origin or influence.
Though formerly Chinese cuisine would have been primarily available inChinatownssuch as those in port cities ofKobe,Nagasaki, orYokohama, and a number of the dishes are consideredmeibutsu(regional specialties) of these cities, Japanese-style Chinese cuisine is now commonly available all over Japan.  As Japanese restaurants are often specialized to offer only one sort of dish, cuisine is focused primarily on dishes found within three distinct types of restaurants:ramenrestaurants,dim sumhouses, and standard Chinese-style restaurants.
Ramen, a dish of noodles in broth, usually with meat and vegetable toppings, is occasionally referred to aschuka soba(中華そば, lit. "Chinese noodles.") InJapan, ramen is one of the most popular fast-food options. Though every Japanese city has numerous inexpensive ramen restaurants specializing in these noodles, numerous varieties ofinstant ramen(much like the Japanese equivalent of the frozenTV dinner) are available. The ramen primarily derives from the noodle soups inCantonese cuisine, but these noodles have changed much since their origin in China.Four main types of ramen are widely available in Japan: shio ("salt"), shōyu ("soy sauce"), tonkotsu ("porkbone") andmiso("soybean paste"). While the toppings used in ramen are generalized based on the broth type, this can vary from shop to shop. As complements to the noodles, ramen restaurants also commonly offer Japanese-style fried rice andgyoza(pan-fried dumplings).
Dim sum(点心tenshinor 飲茶yamuchainJapanese) in Japan is often very different from that which has been popularized inChinatownsin theUnited StatesandCanada. In Japan'sChinatownareas, restaurants in which numerous dishes are brought around to diners’ tables on carts do exist. But, in general, dim sum items have only recently begun to gain popularity around Japan. Instead of carrying full menus of authentic, Chinese-oriented items such asstewed chicken feetor tripe, Japanese dim sum restaurants, now found in larger cities such asOsakaandTokyo, seem to promote a cafe-like atmosphere. At these cafes, tea and snacks often become the focus, instead of full meals. In general, the menus seem to focus on cafe items, such asshumai(燒賣, minced pork or shrimp dumplings),sho lon po(小籠包, steamed dumplings with juicy meat inside) and the like. These are usually served alongside of pots ofoolongorjasmine tea.
Chinese restaurants(中華料理屋/chūka ryōriya or 中華飯店/chūka hanten) serve a distinct set of popular dishes that are not necessarily typical of authenticChinese cuisine. They also cater to Japanese tastes. Currently, most towns in Japan have at least one Chinese eatery, as the cuisine is very popular. There are also many packaged sauces available to easily cook favorite Chinese-Japanese dishes right at home. Some of these typical dishes are:
Dishes derived fromSichuan cuisine:
Dishes derived fromFujian cuisine:
Dishes derived fromCantonese cuisine:
Dishes derived from Northeast Chinese cuisine:
Dishes derived fromJiangsu cuisine:
Dishes derived fromZhejiang cuisine:
Other dishes: