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General Tso's chicken
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General Tao redirects here. For Tao Pai Pai, see Tao Pai Pai.
General Tso's chicken
General Tso's chicken
Traditional Chinese: 左宗堂雞
Simplified Chinese: 左宗堂鸡
[show]Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin: Zuǒ Zōngtáng jī
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping: zo2 zung1 tong4 gai1
- IPA: jo2 jung1 tong4 gai1
General Gau's chicken
Traditional Chinese: 左公雞
Simplified Chinese: 左公鸡
[show]Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin: Zuǒ gōng jī
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping: zo1 gung1 gai1
- IPA: jo2 gung1 gai1
General Tso's chicken is a sweet and spicy deep-fried Hunan Chinese dish that is popularly served in American and Canadian Chinese restaurants. The origins of the dish are unclear. The dish is largely unknown in China and other lands home to the Chinese diaspora.[1] One theory is that the dish was a classic specialty from Hunan province, invented by General Tso's wife and served for him and his officers upon every military victory, although this theory is generally considered to be apocryphal.[2] Many sources claim it was introduced to New York City in the early 1970s as an example of Hunan and Szechuan-style cooking.[1][3]
Contents [hide]
1 Overview
2 Name
2.1 Regional differences
2.2 Pronunciation
3 Controversy over origins
4 Notes
5 References
6 See also
7 External links
[edit] Overview
General Tso's Chicken commonly consists of dark-meat tidbits of chicken that are deep-fried and seasoned with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine or sherry, sugar, sesame oil, scallions, and hot chili peppers, and often served with steamed broccoli. Tomato paste (or ketchup) is sometimes also included as an ingredient.[4][5]
Though relatively inexpensive to produce, General Tso's chicken is often listed as a "Chef's Specialty" at Chinese restaurants in North America, commanding a higher price than other items.[6] Many restaurants, especially in areas with many vegetarians, also serve General Tso's Tofu or General Tso's Soy Protein.[7] Other variants substitute shrimp, beef, or even pork for the chicken.[8][9]
[edit] Name
It is unclear how the dish came to bear the name of Zuo Zongtang (左宗棠, 1812-1885), a Qing Dynasty general from Hunan. Zuo himself is unlikely ever to have tasted the dish.[3] Also, there are contradictory accounts as to the origin of the dish. In her book The Chinese Kitchen, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo states that the dish is a:
version of a classic recipe from Hunan known usually as jeung bau gai kau, a simple description of the dish as boned chunks of chicken, customarily thigh and leg meat, cooked with sauce over high heat. It later became known as chung tong gai,*[›] which translates as “ancestor meeting place chicken.†This, on transplanted restaurant menus, became either, in English, some general or, in Chinese characters, Tso chung gai, or Tso chung tong gai, which translate as “Tso ancestor meeting place chicken.â€[10][dubious – discuss]
According to the Taiwanese/Chinese word-of-mouth stories, the chicken was invented by General Zuo's wife, made for him after a victorious battle. He liked it so much that upon following victorious battles, he would have it made for all of his commanding officers as reward. It is however possible that this story was invented by the former family chef of the prominent Republican-era politician Tan Yankai, who simply put General Zuo's name on it to honor him, and to associate the dish with the famous man.
According to a New York Times Magazine article, the recipe was invented by chef Peng Chang-kuei, who had been an apprentice of Cao Jingchen's, a famous early 20th century Chinese chef. Peng was the Nationalist government banquets' chef and fled with Chiang Kai-shek's forces to Taiwan during the Chinese civil war. There, he continued his career as official chef until 1973, when he moved to New York to open a restaurant. It is there that Peng started inventing new dishes and modifying traditional ones; one new dish, General Tso's chicken, was originally prepared without sugar, and subsequently altered to suit the tastes of "non-Hunanese people." The popularity of the dish has now led to it being "adopted" by local Hunanese chefs and food writers.[1]
General Tso's chicken
[edit] Regional differences
The dish is typically called General Gau's chicken in Massachusetts and surrounding New England states in the United States. General Gau was a General in the Chinese army.[citation needed] In parts of Canada, this dish is known as General Tao's, and less commonly, General George's chicken. In other regions and restaurants, it is also known or mispronounced as General Tsao's, General Zhou's, General Mac's, General Gao's, Chou's, General Tzo's, General To's, General So's, General Joe's, Jordan Chicken, and General Toso's. It is also known as General Chow's and General Tso's prominently in the New Jersey area and simply General Chicken in parts of Northern California. In some states, including Illinois, the dish is called Governor's Chicken. At the United States Naval Academy, the dish is served in the main mess hall, King Hall, as "Admiral Tso's Chicken," reflecting a nautical theme. The Pei Wei chain of chinese restaurants has a "Pei Wei Spicy" preparation (which can be served with chicken or other types of meat and vegetables). The menu says "our version of General Chu" in parentheses. It is made with "chile vinegar sauce, scallion, garlic, snap peas, carrot."
[edit] Pronunciation
Zuo Zongtang's surname is properly pronounced in Chinese as zuŏ (pinyin) (IPA: /tsuɔ/). The "Tso" in General Tso might be approximated as "so", but correct pronunciation of Mandarin is not necessarily intuitive for English speakers. See Chinese romanization.
[edit] Controversy over origins
Peng's Restaurant on East 44th Street in New York City claims that it was the first restaurant in the city to serve General Tso's chicken. Since the dish (and cuisine) was new, Chef Peng made it the house specialty in spite of the dish's commonplace ingredients.[1] A review of Peng's in 1977 mentions that their “General Tso's chicken was a stir-fried masterpiece, sizzling hot both in flavor and temperatureâ€.[11]
New York's Shun Lee Palaces, East (155 E. 55th St.) and West (43 W. 65th St.) also claims that it was the first restaurant to serve General Tso's chicken and that it was invented by a Chinese immigrant chef named T. T. Wang in 1972. Michael Tong, owner of New York's Shun Lee Palaces, says, "We opened the first Hunanese restaurant in the whole country, and the four dishes we offered you will see on the menu of practically every Hunanese restaurant in America today. They all copied from us."[3]
[edit] Notes
^ *: Chung tong gai is a transliteration of “ancestral meeting hall chicken†from Cantonese; zuo zong tang ji is the standard name of General Tso's chicken as transliterated from Mandarin.
[edit] References
^ a b c d Dunlop, Fuchsia (February 4, 2007), "Hunan Resources", The New York Times Magazine: Section 6, Page 75, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/magazine/04food.t.html?ex=1328245200&en=166828055e4a18df&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss>. Retrieved on 2007-04-24
^ Lukacs, Paul (March 6, 2007). Wine With. . . Chinese Take-Out (General Tso's Chicken). Wine Review Online. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
^ a b c Browning, Michael (April 17, 2002), "Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken?", The Washington Post, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59302-2002Apr16>. Retrieved on 2007-02-24
^ NPR.org
^ http://www.cooks.com
^ Echonyc.com
^ Gotham2go.com
^ http://www.look4menu.com
^ http://ohio.cafecourier.com
^ Lo, Eileen Yin-Fei (1999). "Transplanting Chinese Foods in the West", The Chinese Kitchen, calligraphy by San Yan Wong, 1st Edition, New York, New York: William Morrow and Company, 416. ISBN 0-688-15826-9.
^ Sheraton, Mimi (March 18, 1977), "A Touch of Hunan, A Taste of Italy", The New York Times: New Jersey Weekly section, Page 68, <http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10816FD385D167493CAA81788D85F438785F9>. Retrieved on 2007-04-26
[edit] See also
Sesame chicken
Orange chicken
Crispy fried chicken
Chicken Tikka Masala, another syncretic dish seen as symbolizing its particular cuisine.
[edit] External links
The Definitive General Tso's Chicken Page
Recipe for General Tso's chicken
“Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken?†Article from The Washington Post
Exploration of term
“Hunan Resources†Article from The New York Times Magazine about the origin and propagation of the dish
A history of general tso's chicken's hunan origins in traditional chinese
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Tso%27s_chicken"
Categories: Accuracy disputes | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | American Chinese cuisine | Chinese cuisine | Chicken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from General Tso Chicken)• Interested in contributing to Wikipedia? •Jump to: navigation, search
General Tao redirects here. For Tao Pai Pai, see Tao Pai Pai.
General Tso's chicken
General Tso's chicken
Traditional Chinese: 左宗堂雞
Simplified Chinese: 左宗堂鸡
[show]Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin: Zuǒ Zōngtáng jī
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping: zo2 zung1 tong4 gai1
- IPA: jo2 jung1 tong4 gai1
General Gau's chicken
Traditional Chinese: 左公雞
Simplified Chinese: 左公鸡
[show]Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin: Zuǒ gōng jī
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping: zo1 gung1 gai1
- IPA: jo2 gung1 gai1
General Tso's chicken is a sweet and spicy deep-fried Hunan Chinese dish that is popularly served in American and Canadian Chinese restaurants. The origins of the dish are unclear. The dish is largely unknown in China and other lands home to the Chinese diaspora.[1] One theory is that the dish was a classic specialty from Hunan province, invented by General Tso's wife and served for him and his officers upon every military victory, although this theory is generally considered to be apocryphal.[2] Many sources claim it was introduced to New York City in the early 1970s as an example of Hunan and Szechuan-style cooking.[1][3]
Contents [hide]
1 Overview
2 Name
2.1 Regional differences
2.2 Pronunciation
3 Controversy over origins
4 Notes
5 References
6 See also
7 External links
[edit] Overview
General Tso's Chicken commonly consists of dark-meat tidbits of chicken that are deep-fried and seasoned with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine or sherry, sugar, sesame oil, scallions, and hot chili peppers, and often served with steamed broccoli. Tomato paste (or ketchup) is sometimes also included as an ingredient.[4][5]
Though relatively inexpensive to produce, General Tso's chicken is often listed as a "Chef's Specialty" at Chinese restaurants in North America, commanding a higher price than other items.[6] Many restaurants, especially in areas with many vegetarians, also serve General Tso's Tofu or General Tso's Soy Protein.[7] Other variants substitute shrimp, beef, or even pork for the chicken.[8][9]
[edit] Name
It is unclear how the dish came to bear the name of Zuo Zongtang (左宗棠, 1812-1885), a Qing Dynasty general from Hunan. Zuo himself is unlikely ever to have tasted the dish.[3] Also, there are contradictory accounts as to the origin of the dish. In her book The Chinese Kitchen, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo states that the dish is a:
version of a classic recipe from Hunan known usually as jeung bau gai kau, a simple description of the dish as boned chunks of chicken, customarily thigh and leg meat, cooked with sauce over high heat. It later became known as chung tong gai,*[›] which translates as “ancestor meeting place chicken.†This, on transplanted restaurant menus, became either, in English, some general or, in Chinese characters, Tso chung gai, or Tso chung tong gai, which translate as “Tso ancestor meeting place chicken.â€[10][dubious – discuss]
According to the Taiwanese/Chinese word-of-mouth stories, the chicken was invented by General Zuo's wife, made for him after a victorious battle. He liked it so much that upon following victorious battles, he would have it made for all of his commanding officers as reward. It is however possible that this story was invented by the former family chef of the prominent Republican-era politician Tan Yankai, who simply put General Zuo's name on it to honor him, and to associate the dish with the famous man.
According to a New York Times Magazine article, the recipe was invented by chef Peng Chang-kuei, who had been an apprentice of Cao Jingchen's, a famous early 20th century Chinese chef. Peng was the Nationalist government banquets' chef and fled with Chiang Kai-shek's forces to Taiwan during the Chinese civil war. There, he continued his career as official chef until 1973, when he moved to New York to open a restaurant. It is there that Peng started inventing new dishes and modifying traditional ones; one new dish, General Tso's chicken, was originally prepared without sugar, and subsequently altered to suit the tastes of "non-Hunanese people." The popularity of the dish has now led to it being "adopted" by local Hunanese chefs and food writers.[1]
General Tso's chicken
[edit] Regional differences
The dish is typically called General Gau's chicken in Massachusetts and surrounding New England states in the United States. General Gau was a General in the Chinese army.[citation needed] In parts of Canada, this dish is known as General Tao's, and less commonly, General George's chicken. In other regions and restaurants, it is also known or mispronounced as General Tsao's, General Zhou's, General Mac's, General Gao's, Chou's, General Tzo's, General To's, General So's, General Joe's, Jordan Chicken, and General Toso's. It is also known as General Chow's and General Tso's prominently in the New Jersey area and simply General Chicken in parts of Northern California. In some states, including Illinois, the dish is called Governor's Chicken. At the United States Naval Academy, the dish is served in the main mess hall, King Hall, as "Admiral Tso's Chicken," reflecting a nautical theme. The Pei Wei chain of chinese restaurants has a "Pei Wei Spicy" preparation (which can be served with chicken or other types of meat and vegetables). The menu says "our version of General Chu" in parentheses. It is made with "chile vinegar sauce, scallion, garlic, snap peas, carrot."
[edit] Pronunciation
Zuo Zongtang's surname is properly pronounced in Chinese as zuŏ (pinyin) (IPA: /tsuɔ/). The "Tso" in General Tso might be approximated as "so", but correct pronunciation of Mandarin is not necessarily intuitive for English speakers. See Chinese romanization.
[edit] Controversy over origins
Peng's Restaurant on East 44th Street in New York City claims that it was the first restaurant in the city to serve General Tso's chicken. Since the dish (and cuisine) was new, Chef Peng made it the house specialty in spite of the dish's commonplace ingredients.[1] A review of Peng's in 1977 mentions that their “General Tso's chicken was a stir-fried masterpiece, sizzling hot both in flavor and temperatureâ€.[11]
New York's Shun Lee Palaces, East (155 E. 55th St.) and West (43 W. 65th St.) also claims that it was the first restaurant to serve General Tso's chicken and that it was invented by a Chinese immigrant chef named T. T. Wang in 1972. Michael Tong, owner of New York's Shun Lee Palaces, says, "We opened the first Hunanese restaurant in the whole country, and the four dishes we offered you will see on the menu of practically every Hunanese restaurant in America today. They all copied from us."[3]
[edit] Notes
^ *: Chung tong gai is a transliteration of “ancestral meeting hall chicken†from Cantonese; zuo zong tang ji is the standard name of General Tso's chicken as transliterated from Mandarin.
[edit] References
^ a b c d Dunlop, Fuchsia (February 4, 2007), "Hunan Resources", The New York Times Magazine: Section 6, Page 75, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/magazine/04food.t.html?ex=1328245200&en=166828055e4a18df&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss>. Retrieved on 2007-04-24
^ Lukacs, Paul (March 6, 2007). Wine With. . . Chinese Take-Out (General Tso's Chicken). Wine Review Online. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
^ a b c Browning, Michael (April 17, 2002), "Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken?", The Washington Post, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59302-2002Apr16>. Retrieved on 2007-02-24
^ NPR.org
^ http://www.cooks.com
^ Echonyc.com
^ Gotham2go.com
^ http://www.look4menu.com
^ http://ohio.cafecourier.com
^ Lo, Eileen Yin-Fei (1999). "Transplanting Chinese Foods in the West", The Chinese Kitchen, calligraphy by San Yan Wong, 1st Edition, New York, New York: William Morrow and Company, 416. ISBN 0-688-15826-9.
^ Sheraton, Mimi (March 18, 1977), "A Touch of Hunan, A Taste of Italy", The New York Times: New Jersey Weekly section, Page 68, <http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10816FD385D167493CAA81788D85F438785F9>. Retrieved on 2007-04-26
[edit] See also
Sesame chicken
Orange chicken
Crispy fried chicken
Chicken Tikka Masala, another syncretic dish seen as symbolizing its particular cuisine.
[edit] External links
The Definitive General Tso's Chicken Page
Recipe for General Tso's chicken
“Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken?†Article from The Washington Post
Exploration of term
“Hunan Resources†Article from The New York Times Magazine about the origin and propagation of the dish
A history of general tso's chicken's hunan origins in traditional chinese
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Tso%27s_chicken"
Categories: Accuracy disputes | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | American Chinese cuisine | Chinese cuisine | Chicken