Here’s the deal. Nothing is what you think, especially when it comes to food. That’s not all that bad, but it can indeed be misleading. We wouldn’t go that far as to call this cultural appropriation, but adaptation.
It happens in all kinds of foods, Mexican, Italian or French, and today we’re taking a look at 5 Asian foods you never realized were American. Interestingly, they’re one of the most popular items on the menu. How did these dishes come to be, anyway? Read on and find out. Get your chopsticks ready and let’s get started.
General Tso’s Chicken
Everyone’s favorite sticky chicken dish, the General Tso, is an American invention. The general did exist and is a legendary war hero of the Qing Dynasty, but it has nothing to do with the Chinese-American specialty.
The dish is more accurately described as a Hunanese-inspired recipe, yet there’s no apparent reason why Chinese restaurants adopted the General’s name for the sweet and savory dish. Most experts say it was Chef Peng Chang-Kuei who coined the now-famous name.
Perhaps General Tso has something to do with KFC’s General Sanders?
