American Chinese cuisine

American Chinese cuisineis acuisinederived fromChinese cuisinethat was developed byChinese Americans. The dishes served in many North AmericanChinese restaurantsare adapted to American tastes and often differ significantly from those found in China.
Chinese immigrantsarrived in the United States seeking employment as gold miners and railroad workers. As larger groups arrived, laws were put in place preventing them from owning land.They mostly lived together in communities known asChinatowns. Here the immigrants started their small businesses, including restaurants andlaundry services.Early American Chinese food tended to be homogeneous, needing to adapt to local ingredients and catering to an Americanized taste. "It was like if all the Americans in China were from a small town 100 miles outside of Los Angeles. Very underrepresented."
By the 19th century, theChinese Americans in San Franciscooperated sophisticated and sometimes luxurious restaurants patronized mainly by Chinese. The restaurants in smaller towns (mostly owned by Chinese immigrants) served food based on what their customers requested, anything ranging frompork chopsandwiches andapple pie, to beans and eggs. Many of these small-town restaurant owners were self-taught family cooks who improvised on different cooking methods using whatever ingredients were available.
These smaller restaurants were responsible for developing American Chinese cuisine, where the food was modified to suit a more American palate. First catering to miners and railroad workers, they established new eateries in towns where Chinese food was completely unknown, adapting local ingredients and catering to their customers' tastes.Even though the new flavors and dishes meant they were not strictly Chinese cuisine, these Chinese restaurants have been cultural ambassadors to Americans.
Chinese restaurants in the United States began during theCalifornia Gold Rush(1848–1855), which brought 20,000–30,000 immigrants across from theCanton(Guangdong) region of China. The first Chinese restaurant in America is debated. Some say it was Macau and Woosung, while others cite Canton Restaurant.Both unphotographed establishments were founded in 1849 in San Francisco. Either way, these and other such restaurants were central features in the daily lives of immigrants. They provided a connection to home, particularly for the many bachelors who did not have the resources or knowledge to cook for themselves. In 1852, the ratio of male to female Chinese immigrants was a 18:1.These restaurants served as gathering places and cultural centers for the Chinese community. By 1850, there were five Chinese  restaurants in San Francisco. Soon after, significant amounts of food were being imported from China to America'swest coast.
The trend spread steadily eastward with the growth of the American railways, particularly toNew York City.TheChinese Exclusion Actallowed merchants to enter the country, and in 1915, restaurant owners became eligible for merchant visas. This fueled the opening of Chinese restaurants as an immigration vehicle.The merchant status was based on the use of rotating managers. The restaurants would operate as a partnership among many people, rotating different partners through the management responsibilities and establishing them as merchants to earn the exemption.
By the early decades of the 20th century, Chinese restaurants had brought new culinary ingredients to towns and cities across the United States, includingsoy sauce,sesame oil,bean sprouts,water chestnuts,dried mushrooms,fried noodles,Oolong teaandalmond cookies.Bok choi, then called "Pak choi", was sometimes called "Chinese Romaine".Napa cabbagewas then called "Chinese cabbage".In those years, it was commonplace for prosperous American families, especially on theWest Coast, to employ Chinese cooks as domestic servants.For example, cookbook author and TV personalityJames Beardgrew up inPortland, Oregonwhere his parents employed a Chinese cook, Jue-Let, who Beard credited as a major culinary influence, and spoke of with great affection.In 1915, a manual was published in San 
Francisco, instructing Chinese immigrants how to cook for American families.
Pekin Noodle Parlor, established in 1911, is the oldest operating Chinese restaurant in the country.As of 2015, the United States had 46,700 Chinese restaurants.
Along the way, cooks adapted southern Chinese dishes and developed a style of Chinese food not found in China, such aschop suey. Restaurants (along with Chinese laundries) provided an ethnic niche for small businesses at a time when Chinese people were excluded from most jobs in the wage economy by ethnic discrimination or lack of language fluency.By the 1920s, this cuisine, particularly chop suey, became popular among middle-class Americans. However, after World War II it began to be dismissed for not being "authentic",though it continued to be popular.
In 1955, the Republic of China (having itselfretreated to Taiwan) evacuated theDachen Islandsin the face of the encroaching Communists. Many who evacuated to Taiwan later moved to the United States as they lacked strong social networks and access to opportunity in Taiwan. Chefs from the Dachen Islands had a strong influence on American Chinese food.
Beginning in the 1950s, Taiwanese immigrants replaced Cantonese immigrants as the primary labor force in American Chinese restaurants. These immigrants expanded American-Chinese cuisine beyondCantonese cuisineto encompass dishes from many different regions of China as well as Japanese-inspired dishes.
Chinese-American restaurants played a key role in ushering in the era of take-out and delivery food in the United States. In New York City, delivery was pioneered in the 1970s by Empire Szechuan Gourmet Franchise, which hired Taiwanese students studying atColumbia Universityto do the work. Chinese American restaurants were among the first restaurants to use picture menus in the US.
Taiwanese immigration largely ended in the 1990s due to an economic boom and democratization in Taiwan. From the 1990s onward, immigrants from China once again made up the majority of cooks in American Chinese restaurants.There has been a consequential component ofChinese emigrationof illegal origin, most notablyFuzhou peoplefromFujianandWenzhounesefromZhejiangin mainland China, specifically destined to work in Chinese restaurants in New York City, beginning in the 1980s.
Adapting Chinese cooking techniques to local produce and tastes has led to the development of American Chinese cuisine. Many of the Chinese restaurantmenusin the US are printed inChinatown, Manhattan, which has a strongChinese-Americandemographic.
Late 20th-century tastes have been more accommodating to the local residents.By this time, it had become evident that Chinese restaurants no longer catered mainly to Chinese customers.
In 2011, theSmithsonian National Museum of American Historydisplayed some of the historical background and cultural artifacts of American Chinese cuisine in its exhibit entitled,Sweet & Sour: A Look at the History of Chinese Food in the United States.
Many of the foods that Americans call "Chinese food" were created in America, includingfortune cookies,crab rangoon, andGeneral Tso's chicken. American Chinese food builds from styles and food habits brought from the southern province ofGuangdong, often from theToisandistrict of Toisan, the origin of most Chinese immigration before theclosure of immigration from Chinain 1924. These Chinese families developed new styles and used readily available ingredients, especially in California.The type of Chinese-American cooking served in restaurants was different from the foods eaten in Chinese-American homes.Of the variousregional cuisines in China,Cantonese cuisinehas been the most influential in the development of American Chinese food.
American Chinese food typically features different types and greater quantities of meat than traditional Chinese cuisine.Another major difference between Chinese and American-Chinese cuisine is in the use of vegetables.Saladscontaining raw or uncooked ingredients are rare in traditional Chinese cuisine.An increasing number of American Chinese restaurants, including some upscale establishments, have started to offer these items in response to customer demand. While cuisine in China makes frequent use of Asianleaf vegetables, likebok choyandgai-lan, American Chinese cuisine makes use of some ingredients not native to and very rarely used in China, for example, Westernbroccoli(Chinese:西蘭;pinyin:xīlán) instead of Chinese broccoli (gai-lan,芥蘭;jièlán).(Occasionally, Western broccoli is also referred to assailaanfain Cantonese (西蘭花) in order to distinguish the two.)
Chinese ingredients considered "exotic" in North America have become more available over time, including fresh fruits and vegetables which previously had been rare. For example, ediblesnow peapods have become widely available, while the less-knowndau miu(also called "pea sprouts", "pea pod stems", or "pea shoots") are also appearing on menus, and even in supermarkets in North America.
American-Chinese food also has had a reputation for high levels ofMSGto enhance flavor. In recent years, market forces and customer demand have encouraged many restaurants to offer "MSG Free" or "No MSG" menus, or to omit this ingredient on request.
Egg fried ricein American Chinese cuisine is also prepared differently, with more soy sauce added for more flavor whereas the traditional egg fried rice uses less soy sauce. Some food styles, such asdim sum, were also modified to fit American palates, such as added batter for fried dishes and extra soy sauce.
Both Chinese and American-Chinese cooking utilize similar methods of preparation, such asstir frying,pan frying, anddeep frying, which are all easily done using awok.
Ming Tsai, the owner of the Blue Ginger restaurantinWellesley, Massachusetts, and host ofPBSculinary showSimply Ming, said that American Chinese restaurants typically try to have food representing 3–5 regions of China at one time, havechop suey, or have "fried vegetables and some protein in a thick sauce", "eight different sweet and sour dishes", or "a whole page of 20 different chow meins or fried rice dishes". Tsai said "Chinese-American cuisine is 'dumbed-down' Chinese food. It's adapted... to be blander, thicker and sweeter for the American public".
Most American Chinese establishments cater to non-Chinese customers with menus written in English or containing pictures. If separate Chinese-language menus are available, they typically feature such items asliver,chicken feet, or other meat dishes that might deter American customers (such asoffal). InChinatown, Manhattan, some restaurants are known for having a "phantom" menu with food preferred by ethnic Chinese, but believed to be disliked by non-Chinese Americans.
Dishes that often appear on American Chinese restaurant menus include:
Dau miuis a Chinese vegetable that has become popular since the early 1990s, and now not only appears on English-language menus, usually as "pea shoots", but is often served by upscale non-Asian restaurants as well. Originally it was only available during a few months of the year, but it is now grown in greenhouses and is available year-round.
TheNew York metropolitan areais home to the largest Chinese population outside of Asia,which also constitutes the largest metropolitanAsian-Americangroup in the United States and the largest Asian-national metropolitandiasporain theWestern Hemisphere. TheChinese-Americanpopulation of the New York City metropolitan area was an estimated 893,697 as of 2017.
Given the New York metropolitan area's continuing status as by far the leading gateway for Chinese immigrants to the United States, all popular styles of every Chinese regional cuisine have commensurately become ubiquitously accessible inNew York City,includingHakka,Taiwanese,Shanghainese,Hunanese,Szechuan,Cantonese,Fujianese,Xinjiang,Zhejiang, andKorean Chinese cuisine. Even the relatively obscureDongbeistyle of cuisine indigenous toNortheast Chinais now available inFlushing, Queens,as well asMongolian cuisineandUyghur cuisine.
Kosherpreparation of Chinese food is also widely available in New York City, given the metropolitan area's largeJewishand particularlyOrthodox Jewishpopulations.
The perception that American Jews eat at Chinese restaurants onChristmas Dayis documented in media.The tradition may have arisen from the lack of other open restaurants on Christmas Day, the close proximity of Jewish and Chinese immigrants to each other in New York City, and the absence ofdairy foods combined with meat.
Kosher Chinese food is usually prepared in New York City, as well as in other large cities with Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, under strictrabbinicalsupervision as a prerequisite for Kosher certification.
Chinese populations inLos Angelesrepresent at least 21 of the 34 provincial-level administrative units of China, along with the largest population of Taiwanese-born immigrants outside of Taiwan, making greater Los Angeles home to a diverse population of Chinese people in the United States.
Chinese-American cuisine in theGreater Los Angeles areais concentrated in Chineseethnoburbsrather than traditionalChinatowns. The oldest Chinese ethnoburb is Monterey Park, considered to be the nation's first suburban Chinatown.
AlthoughChinatownin Los Angeles is still a significant commercial center for Chinese immigrants, the majority are centered in theSan Gabriel Valleywhich is the one of the largest concentration of Asian-Americans in the country, stretching fromMonterey Parkinto the cities ofAlhambra,San Gabriel,Rosemead,San Marino,South Pasadena,West Covina,Walnut,City of Industry,Diamond Bar,Arcadia, andTemple City.
TheValley Boulevard corridoris the main artery of Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. Another hub with a significant Chinese population isIrvine(Orange County). More than 200,000 Chinese Americans live in the San Gabriel Valley alone, with over 67% being foreign-born.The valley has become a brand-name tourist destination in China, althoughdroughts in Californiaare creating a difficult impact upon itswater securityand existential viability.Of the ten cities in the United States with the highest proportions of Chinese Americans, the top eight are located in the San Gabriel Valley, making it one of the largest concentrated hubs for Chinese Americans in North America.
Some regional styles of Chinese cuisine includeBeijing,Chengdu,Chongqing,Dalian,Hangzhou,Hong Kong,Hunan,Mongolianhot pot,Nanjing,Shanghai,Shanxi,Shenyang,Wuxi,Xinjiang,Yunnan, andWuhan.
Food bloggerDavid R. Chanhas visited more than 8000 Chinese restaurants, including hundreds around his home in Los Angeles.
Since the early 1990s, many American Chinese restaurants influenced byCalifornia cuisinehave opened in theSan Francisco Bay Area. The trademark dishes of American Chinese cuisine remain on the menu, but there is more emphasis on fresh vegetables, and the selection is vegetarian-friendly.
This new cuisine has exotic ingredients likemangosandportobello mushrooms.Brown riceis often offered as an alternative towhite rice.
Some restaurants substitute grilled wheat flourtortillasfor the rice pancakes inmushudishes. This occurs even in some restaurants that would not otherwise be identified as California Chinese, both the more Westernized places and the more authentic places. There is a Mexican bakery that supplies some restaurants with thinnertortillasmade for use with mushu. Mushu purists do not always react positively to this trend.
In addition, many restaurants serving more native-style Chinese cuisines exist, due to the high numbers and proportion of ethnic Chinese in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Restaurants specializing in Cantonese, Sichuanese, Hunanese, Northern Chinese, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong traditions are widely available, as are more specialized restaurants such as seafood restaurants,Hong Kong-style diners and cafes, also known asCha chaan teng(茶餐廳;chácāntīng),dim sumteahouses, andhot potrestaurants. Many Chinatown areas also featureChinese bakeries,boba milk teashops,roasted meat,vegetarian cuisine, and specialized dessert shops.
Chop sueyis not widely available inSan Francisco, and the area's chow mein is different fromMidwesternchow mein.
Chinese cuisine inBostonresults from a combination of economic and regional factors, in association with the wide Chineseacademicscene. The growingBoston ChinatownaccommodatesChinese-owned bus linesshuttling an increasing number of passengers to and from the numerousChinatowns in New York City, and this has led to some exchange between Boston Chinese cuisine and that in New York.
A large immigrantFujianeseimmigrant population has made a home in Boston, leading toFuzhou cuisinebeing readily available there. An increasingVietnamesepopulation has also had an influence on Chinese cuisine inGreater Boston.
In addition, innovative dishes incorporatingchow meinandchop sueyas well aslocally farmedproduce and regionally procuredseafoodare found in Chinese as well as non-Chinese food in and around Boston. The selection ofChinese bakery productshas increased markedly in the 21st century, although the range of choices in New York City remains supreme.
Joyce Chenintroduced northern Chinese (Mandarin) and Shanghainese dishes to Boston in the 1950s, includingPeking duck,moo shu pork,hot and sour soup, andpotstickers, which she called "Peking Ravioli" or "Ravs".Her restaurants were frequented by early pioneers of theARPANET,as well as celebrities such asJohn Kenneth Galbraith,James Beard,Julia Child,Henry Kissinger,Beverly Sills, andDanny Kaye.A formerHarvard Universitypresident called her eating establishment "not merely a restaurant, but a cultural exchange center".In addition, her single-seasonPBSnational television seriesJoyce Chen Cookspopularized some dishes which could be made at home, and she often encouraged using substitute ingredients when necessary.
The evolving American Chinese cuisine scene inPhiladelphiahas similarities with the situation in both New York City and Boston. As with Boston, Philadelphia is experiencing significantChinese immigrationfromNew York City, 95 miles (153 km) to the north,and from China, the top country of birth by a significant margin for a new arrivals there .
There is a growing Fujianese community in Philadelphia as well, and Fuzhou cuisine is readily available in thePhiladelphia Chinatown. Also, emergingVietnamese cuisinein Philadelphia is contributing to evolution in local Chinese cuisine, with some Chinese-American restaurants adopting Vietnamese influences or recipes.
AlthoughWashington, D.C.'s Chinese community has not achieved as high of a local profile as that in other major cities along theMid-Atlantic United States, it is now growing, and rapidly so, due to thegentrificationofDC's Chinatownand the status of Washington, D.C., as thecapital of the United States. The growing Chinese community in D.C. and its suburbs has revitalized the influence of Chinese cuisine in the area.
Washington, D.C.'s population is 1% Chinese, making them the largest single Asian ancestry in the city. However, the Chinese community in the DC area is no longer solely concentrated in the area of Chinatown, which is about 15% Chinese and 25% Asian, but is mostly concentrated throughout various towns insuburbanMarylandandNorthern Virginia. The largest concentration of Chinese and Taiwanese in the D.C. area is inRockville, Maryland, inMontgomery County.
A popular dish localized in Chinese American carryouts across theDMVregion consists of wholefried chicken wingsserved withmumbo sauce, a sweet, tangy ketchup-based condiment.
In D.C. proper, there are Chinese-owned restaurants specializing in both Chinese American and authentic Chinese cuisine. Regional variations of Chinese cuisine that restaurants in D.C. specialize in includeShanghainese cuisine,Cantonese cuisine,Uyghur cuisine,Mongolian cuisine, andSichuan cuisine. In the suburbs of D.C. in Maryland and Virginia, many of which have a much higher Chinese population than D.C., regional variations present aside from the ones previously mentioned includeHong Kong cuisine,Hunan cuisine,Shaanxi cuisine,Taiwanese cuisine, andYunnan cuisine.
Hawaiian-Chinese food developed somewhat differently from Chinese cuisine in thecontinental United States.
Owing to the diversity ofPacificethnicities in Hawaii and the history of theChinese influence in Hawaii, resident Chinese cuisine forms a component of thecuisine of Hawaii, which is afusionof different culinary traditions. Some Chinese dishes are typically served as part ofplate lunchesin Hawaii.
The names of foods are different as well, such asManapua, from the Hawaiian contraction of "Mea ono pua'a" or "deliciousporkitem" from the dim sumbao, though the meat is not necessarily pork.
Many American films (for example:The Godfather;Ghostbusters;The Lost Boys;The Naked Gun;Crossing Delancey;Paid in Full; andInside Out) involve scenes where Chinese take-out food is eaten fromoyster pails. A consistent choice of cuisine in all these cases, however, might just be an indicator of its popularity. A running gag inDallasisCliff Barnes' fondness for inexpensive Chinese take-out food, as opposed to hisnemesisJ. R. Ewingfrequenting fine restaurants.
Among the numerous American television series and films that feature Chinese restaurants as a setting includeA Christmas Story,Seinfeld(particularly the episode "The Chinese Restaurant"),Sex and the City,Big Trouble in Little China,South Park,Year of the Dragon,Lethal Weapon 4,Mickey Blue Eyes,Booty Call,Rush Hour 2, andMen in Black 3.In most cases, it is not an actual restaurant but amovie setthat typifies the stereotypical American Chinese eatery, featuring "paper lanterns and intricate woodwork", with "numerous fish tanks and detailed [red] wallpaper [with gold designs]" and "golden dragons", plus "hanging ducksin the window".
Chinese American cuisine provides an option for Americans to taste Chinese food, which is adapted to both Chinese and American flavors. It allows people in America to learn more about Chinese traditional culture and customs. In this process, Chinese Americans have developed a new cuisine which is different from "traditional Chinese food," and contribute to the food diversity in America. Through running their own restaurants or eateries, first-generation Chinese immigrants eliminated discrimination against them and gained sufficient income to send the next generations to universities or colleges.ForChinese Americans, American Chinese cuisine has already become part of their childhood memories and life,which also would be a bridge between Chinese and American cultures. For example,Panda ExpressandP.F. Chang's, two of the most famous American Chinese restaurants in the United States that have become the symbol of American Chinese cuisine and have gained appreciation from many Americans.
In addition, American Chinese cuisine brought some new ingredients and cooking methods to the United States, such as stir-frying and steaming. Thus, many restaurants in the United States started to combine existing dishes with Chinese cooking techniques and flavors, which promoted the development of fusion cuisine.Introduction of Chinese food also triggered people's curiosity about more Asian food, such asJapanese,ThaiandSingaporeanfood, and led to a prevalence of Asian cuisine.
Although some Chinese people will regard American Chinese food as inauthentic food and less likely to have it, or they will not recognize American Chinese cuisine, in recent years,some American Chinese food restaurants have opened in some cities of China, such asBeijingandShanghai.P.F. Chang's, a restaurant chain specialized in American Chinese food, opened a new restaurant in Shanghai, China. The CEO of this chain Michael Osanloo revealed his positive attitude towards the future of opening more chain restaurants in China because he believed that Chinese people would like to try something new.
Many owners of the American Chinese restaurants opened in the cities of China are Chinese Americans. Their primary target customers were people from foreign countries and students who have had study abroad experiences. However, many native Chinese people, especially younger generations have a greater willingness to try American Chinese food. Yinhao Xu, the owner of Americanized Chinese eatery-Bamboo Chinese Fast Food in Beijing, said that he was surprised that some younger generations without overseas experiences have a higher level of acceptance of American-style Chinese cuisine.The reason for that is cultural impact; many American Chinese cuisines appear in American shows or films, such asFriendsandThe Big Bang Theory, which leads young people in China to want to try American Chinese food.
Woktionary, an American Chinese restaurant opened inSeoul,South Korea, provides authentic American Chinese food, such as Chow mein and Mongolian beef. Meanwhile, the head chef Kim also added new flavors to some of the dishes.
At the same time, Panda Express also opened a restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. The CEO of the company indicated that many Korean customers were already expecting for their opening.
The firstPanda ExpressinJapanwas opened in November 2016 inKawasaki. It is dedicated to providing the original taste of American Chinese food to Americans in Japan. It offers similar menus in Japan compared to Panda Express restaurants in the United States, such asOrange Chicken, Beijing Beef, andFortune cookies. Nevertheless, the restaurant also tries to implement localization by offering a limited dish only in Japan: Sweet and Pungent Shrimp.
Chinese food and American Chinese cuisine has become a staple food in British Cuisine as early as the 19th century with the first arrivals of Chinese immigrants to the UK. In an 2009 survey, over 80% of participants enjoy Chinese cuisine. British Chinese cuisine can be distinguished by its partnering with the British classic chips. American Chinese characteristics come inspired by the fried dishes like Rangoons and Chop Suey.