Chop Suey Day

Did you tomorrow, August 29th, is Chop Suey day? It’s another one of those “where did that come from?” holidays, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting or fun!

The date is not chosen at random, though. Legend has it that Chinese ambassador Li Hung Chang had his chef create it for a dinner party while they were on a diplomatic visit to New York City on August 29th, 1896. It’s an unverified claim, though, and more than likely people were just inspired by the visit.

Despite the myth, many say that chop suey is not actually an authentic Chinese dish, and that it was created in the United States by Chinese immigrants (instead of a visiting dignitary). One account, however, says that it did exist in the Chinese province of Taishan in the 1890’s, several years before it made its debut in the U.S.

Either way you look at it, though, it’s become a popular American dish. A meal of chop suey consists of meat cooked with vegetables in a thickened sauce and is typically served over rice. The meat can be traditional Chinese fare such as chicken, fish or shrimp, or it can even stretch the boundaries a bit and encompass ground beef and tomato sauce. (So is the turkey goulash I like to make Italian or actually chop suey? Hmmm…)

~ Gourmet Chop Suey
~ Ground Beef Chop Suey
~ Pork Chop Suey
~ Emeril’s Chop Suey
~ Chicken Chop Suey
~ Cantonese Chicken Chop Suey
~ Vegetarian Chop Suey

What’s your favorite way to make chop suey?

[image: flickr]