On August 29 we celebrate, National Chop Suey Day a Chinese-American cuisine, which is a stir-fry dish made with a mix of meat, vegetables, and sometimes bean sprouts, all tossed in a savoury sauce. A Perfect and delicious dish that reflects a blend of culinary traditions and tastes, embodying a fusion of flavours that have been popular in American Chinese restaurants for over a century.
There may be variations in the recipe here and there, but the main element of scrumptiousness remains constant. Hundreds of various chop suey recipes are out there in online or receipt books, there are several origin stories about it too.
National Chop Suey Day- History
E. N. Anderson, a historical scholar on Chinese food, which states that chop suey may have its origins in the county of Taishan in the Guangdong province of China. However, it is also known as ‘tsap seui,’ which translates to ‘miscellaneous pieces,’ chop suey may have come to America through the earliest Chinese immigrants.
In the year 1840s when gold was discovered in California, many immigrants, a large number of Chinese people, came to the United States to seek their fortunes and better lifestyles. After a hard day’s work of digging for gold, the Chinese immigrants, mostly men who had come to the country with little to their names, chose chop suey to satisfy their hunger as the dish was cheap and filling. To date, the dish has become popular with the rest of the public and has also been tested by and loved worldwide.
However, other scholars speculate that the dish may have been invented at the house of Li Hongzhang, a Chinese diplomat in New York where hongzhang had some American friends coming over, and to provide a hearty and good meal, he instructed his chef to create something that would be suitable for both the Chinese as well as Americans. As a result, it is said to have been the American-Chinese fusion dish called chop suey.
There is also another story regarding this, where another story goes like this the dish was the invention of a tired and scared chef. The chef in question had a restaurant on the transcontinental railroad. As he was closing his eatery for the day, a group of drunk sailors entered the place instructing the chef to whip up something delicious. Fearing a beating, the chef brought together the day’s leftover scraps, which consisted of some meat, shrimps, vegetables, and eggs. He cooked all these ingredients on high heat, serving them to his customers. However, the dish became an instant hit and really took off, prompting the chef to include the item on his menu.
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1848 (California’s Gold Rush)
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After the discovery of gold in California, Chinese immigrants flock to the city to earn money. |
| 1860s (Transcontinental Railroad’s Chop Suey) | A chef in San Francisco is believed to have created the dish after drunk sailors made their way into his restaurant and demanded a hot meal. |
| 1884 (National Dish of China) | Wong Chin Foo, a Chinese-American activist, describes chop suey as the national dish of China in the “Brooklyn Eagle.” |
| 1896 (Chinese Diplomat’s Chef’s Chop Suey) | Li Hongzhang’s chef invents chop suey as a way to satisfy both Chinese and American tastes |
