Part II - Chinese Foods and Chinese Restaurants in America

Regional Chinese Foods

Chinese foods originated from various parts of China, and followed the Chinese as they settled throughout the world. There are eight distinctive regions which each have their own cuisine: Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang. Huaiyang Cuisine is an important style within Jiangsu cuisine which bases each dish upon one main ingredient. It is lighter and sweeter than other Chinese cuisines. The two huge cities of Beijing and Shanghai also have their own regional dishes.

Anhui traditionally creates a laba porridge flavored with dried fruits and nuts; rice with bean curd peel and Huizhou cake. Oyster pancakes are enjoyed in Fujian cuisines, along with pork trotters and noodles which are usually eaten with fingers. Jiangsu is known for its baked wheat buns flavored with sesame and onion or scallions. Steamed buns with a choice of savory stuffings are made here too. In Shandong deep fried stuffed buns are the local favorite. Zhejiang produces noodles with shrimp and eel, ninbo rice dumplings and for dessert, buttered pancakes and chestnut cake. Beijing is known for its jiaoquan, a ring of dough which is lightly cooked, and mimahua which is a similar dessert with a honey coating. Fried pig’s liver is also a delicacy here. Sichuan food is particularly hot and numbing and Shanghai cuisine includes some crab delicacies, steamed bread and chicken porridge.

The History of Chinese Food in America

Chinese immigrants arrived in America during the 19th century to build railroads, dig mines and do hard industrial work and they brought their traditional cuisine along with them. The first Chinese restaurants were actually in California, during the Gold Rush. These local restaurants fed Chinese and non-Chinese alike and tales of the new cuisine soon spread east. Around the 1880s it reached Boston, and Chinese dishes were included on the menu alongside French fried potatoes! Initially Americans were cautious about this strange new food, but gradually it caught on in popularity.

Chinese cuisine really took off in the early 20th century when it suddenly became popular among the younger folk to eat more exotic ‘ethnic’ fare. Chop Suey houses sprung up all over the USA and new words were added to the American language. Until 1965 it was mainly the Cantonese-speaking immigrants who dominated the industry, from the Toisan area, but as immigration restrictions were relaxed, more Chinese from other regions arrived in America. Top chefs, who cooked spicy Sichuan and Hunan dishes, introduced these flavors in New York restaurants and suddenly Chinese restaurants got rave reviews for their quality cuisine. The mass produced batter-fried version of Chinese dishes bore little resemblance to the authentic dishes, but it was popular and successful. Chinese vegetables were substituted for the more familiar and obtainable carrots, broccoli and tomatoes, and chicken feet were left firmly in the home country!

Most Chinese restaurants are family-owned, although there are a couple of successful American franchises. Nowadays it is the Fujianese immigrants who are buying and running the restaurants. Chinese cuisine remains as popular as ever especially the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. The trade has also developed a thriving demand for Chinese take-out food. Cheap, hot meals can be ordered and delivered in purpose-made containers to almost any home in suburban America.