A FOOD TRADITION

Chinese American cuisine

Chinese American cuisine developed through Chinese migration, especially in western railroad towns, urban Chinatowns, and later suburban communities. It draws on Cantonese foundations as well as Sichuan, Hunan, Fujian, and other regional traditions, adapting ingredients, cooking methods, and presentation to American settings. Stir-frying, deep-frying, steaming, braising, and wok cooking are central techniques. Representative examples include chop suey, egg foo young, and American-style beef with broccoli. The category includes both early Chinese restaurant traditions and later regional adaptations, while recognizing that Chinese American cooking is not a single unchanged cuisine or a substitute for the many cuisines of China.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.