Editing American Chinese cuisine (section)

==Regional variations==

===New York City===
The [[New York metropolitan area]] is home to the largest Chinese population outside of Asia,<ref name="NYCLargestChinesePopulation">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/nyregion/in-new-york-indictment-of-officer-peter-liang-divides-chinese-americans.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/nyregion/in-new-york-indictment-of-officer-peter-liang-divides-chinese-americans.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Indictment of New York Officer Divides Chinese-Americans|first=Vivian|last=Yee|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 22, 2015|access-date=February 23, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="queensbuzz">{{cite web|url=http://www.queensbuzz.com/flushing-neighborhood-corona-neighborhood-cms-302|title=Chinese New Year 2012 in Flushing|publisher=QueensBuzz.com|date=January 25, 2012|access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> which also constitutes the largest metropolitan [[Asian Americans in New York City|Asian-American]] group in the United States and the largest Asian-national metropolitan [[diaspora]] in the [[Western Hemisphere]]. The [[Chinese in New York City|Chinese-American]] population of the New York City metropolitan area was an estimated 893,697 as of 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_1YR/S0201/330M400US408/popgroup~016|title=Selected Population Profile in the United States 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA Chinese alone|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214002005/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_1YR/S0201/330M400US408/popgroup~016|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Given the New York metropolitan area's continuing status as by far the leading gateway for Chinese immigrants to the United States, all popular styles of every Chinese regional cuisine have commensurately become ubiquitously accessible in [[Chinese in New York City|New York City]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/30flushing.html|title=Let the Meals Begin: Finding Beijing in Flushing|first=Julia|last=Moskin|work=The New York Times|date=July 30, 2008 |access-date=November 26, 2017}}</ref> including [[Hakka cuisine|Hakka]], [[Taiwanese cuisine|Taiwanese]], [[Shanghai cuisine|Shanghainese]], [[Hunan cuisine|Hunanese]], [[Szechuan cuisine|Szechuan]], [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]], [[Fujianese cuisine|Fujianese]], [[Xinjiang cuisine|Xinjiang]], [[Zhejiang cuisine|Zhejiang]], and [[Korean Chinese cuisine]]. Even the relatively obscure [[Northeastern Chinese cuisine|Dongbei]] style of cuisine indigenous to [[Northeast China]] is now available in [[Flushing, Queens]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/dining/10chine.html?scp=1&sq=dongbei%20cuisine&st=cse |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906201750/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/dining/10chine.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=dongbei%20cuisine&st=cse |archive-date=September 6, 2012 |title=Northeast China Branches Out in Flushing|date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=December 17, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Julia |last=Moskin}}</ref> as well as [[Mongolian cuisine]] and [[Uyghur cuisine]].<ref name="DiverseCuisineFlushingChinatownTimesSquare">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/dining/food-queens-us-open.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180826122822/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/dining/food-queens-us-open.html |archive-date=August 26, 2018 |title=Food Outside the U.S. Open Gates |last=Falkowitz |first=Max |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 25, 2018 |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>

====Kosher preparation====
{{Main|Jewish American Chinese restaurant patronage}}
[[Kosher]] preparation of Chinese food is also widely available in New York City, given the metropolitan area's large [[Jews in New York City|Jewish]] and particularly [[Orthodox Jewish]] populations.

The perception that American Jews eat at Chinese restaurants on [[Christmas Day]] is documented in media.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/why-american-jews-eat-chinese-food-on-christmas/384011/ |title=Why Do American Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas? — The Atlantic |publisher=Theatlantic.com |date=December 23, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-features/1.633512 |title='Tis the season: Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas? - Jewish World Features - Israel News |newspaper=Haaretz |date=December 24, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/isaac-zablocki/the-jewish-christmas-trad_b_6272972.html |title=Movies and Chinese Food: The Jewish Christmas Tradition &#124; Isaac Zablocki |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=December 6, 2017 |access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref> The tradition may have arisen from the lack of other open restaurants on Christmas Day, the close proximity of Jewish and Chinese immigrants in New York City, and the absence of [[Milk and meat in Jewish law|dairy foods combined with meat]].

Kosher Chinese food is usually prepared in New York City, as well as in other large cities with Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, under strict [[rabbi]]nical supervision as a prerequisite for Kosher certification.

===Los Angeles County===
Chinese populations in [[Los Angeles]] represent at least 21 of the 34 provincial-level administrative units of China, along with the largest population of Taiwanese-born immigrants outside of Taiwan, making greater Los Angeles home to a diverse population of Chinese people in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-best-chinese-restaurants-in-la-according-to-chinese-people/|title=The Best Chinese Restaurants in LA, According to Chinese People|first=Clarissa|last=Wei|date=April 28, 2017}}</ref>

Chinese-American cuisine in the [[Greater Los Angeles area]] is concentrated in Chinese [[ethnoburb]]s rather than traditional [[Chinatown]]s. The oldest Chinese ethnoburb is Monterey Park, considered to be the nation's first suburban Chinatown.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-06-mn-135-story.html|title=Monterey Park : Nation's 1st Suburban Chinatown|date=April 6, 1987|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

Although [[Chinatown, Los Angeles|Chinatown]] in Los Angeles is still a significant commercial center for Chinese immigrants, the majority are centered in the [[San Gabriel Valley]] which is the one of the largest concentration of Asian-Americans in the country, stretching from [[Monterey Park, California|Monterey Park]] into the cities of [[Alhambra, California|Alhambra]], [[San Gabriel, California|San Gabriel]], [[Rosemead]], [[San Marino, California|San Marino]], [[South Pasadena, California|South Pasadena]], [[West Covina]], [[Walnut, California|Walnut]], [[City of Industry]], [[Diamond Bar]], [[Arcadia, California|Arcadia]], and [[Temple City]].

The [[Valley Boulevard|Valley Boulevard corridor]] is the main artery of Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. Another hub with a significant Chinese population is [[Irvine, California|Irvine]] ([[Orange County, California|Orange County]]). More than 200,000 Chinese Americans live in the San Gabriel Valley alone, with over 67% being foreign-born.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/02/21/80976/report-on-sgv-s-asian-americans-shows-two-thirds-a/|title=Two-thirds of San Gabriel Valley's Asian-Americans are immigrants|first=Southern California Public|last=Radio|date=February 21, 2018|website=Southern California Public Radio}}</ref> The valley has become a brand-name tourist destination in China, although [[droughts in California]] are creating a difficult impact upon its [[water security]] and existential viability.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2014-feb-13-la-me-ln-san-gabriel-chinese-tourists-20140212-story.html|title=San Gabriel becomes brand-name destination for Chinese tourists|date=February 13, 2014|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Of the ten cities in the United States with the highest proportions of Chinese Americans, the top eight are located in the San Gabriel Valley, making it one of the largest concentrated hubs for Chinese Americans in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://imdiversity.com/villages/asian/history-of-asians-in-the-san-gabriel-valley/|title=History of Asians in the San Gabriel Valley – IMDiversity|website=imdiversity.com}}</ref>

Some regional styles of Chinese cuisine include [[Beijing]], [[Chengdu]], [[Chongqing]], [[Dalian]], [[Hangzhou]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Hunan]], [[Mongolia]]n, [[Nanjing]], [[Shanghai]], [[Shanxi]], [[Shenyang]], [[Wuxi]], [[Xinjiang]], [[Yunnan]], and [[Wuhan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-xpm-2013-feb-15-la-dd-jonathan-gold-best-chinese-restaurants-in-los-angeles-20130215-story.html|title=Jonathan Gold's best Chinese restaurants in L.A., by regional cuisine|date=February 15, 2013|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

LA is also home to notable food critics, including food blogger [[David R. Chan]], who has visited more than 8000 Chinese restaurants, including hundreds around Los Angeles.<ref name="Holmes2018">{{cite web |url=https://la.eater.com/2018/10/24/18019362/southern-californian-chinese-food-historian |title=This Retiree Might Be Southern California's Foremost Chinese Food Historian  |first1=Mona |last1=Holmes |accessdate=November 18, 2024 |date=October 24, 2018 |work=[[Eater Los Angeles]]}}</ref><ref name="Park2023">{{cite web |first1=Chrissy |last1=Park |url=https://theantreader.org/2023/06/09/david-r-chan-8000-chinese-restaurants-and-counting/ |title=David R. Chan: 8,000 Chinese Restaurants and Counting  |date=June 9, 2023 |accessdate=November 18, 2024 |work=The Ant Reader}}</ref>

===San Francisco Bay Area===
Since the early 1990s, many American Chinese restaurants influenced by [[California cuisine]] have opened in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]. The trademark dishes of American Chinese cuisine remain on the menu, but there is more emphasis on fresh vegetables, and the selection is vegetarian-friendly.

This new cuisine has exotic ingredients like [[mango]]s and [[portobello mushroom]]s. [[Brown rice]] is often offered as an alternative to [[white rice]].

Some restaurants substitute grilled wheat flour [[tortilla]]s for the rice pancakes in [[mu shu]] dishes. This substitution occurs even in some restaurants that are not typically associated with Chinese cuisine, including both Westernized and the more authentic places. For example, a Mexican bakery that supplies some restaurants with thinner [[tortilla]]s made for use with mu{{nbsp}}shu. However, this trend is not always appreciated by Mu shu purists.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Mu Shu Tortilla Flats: Chinese restaurant needs better mu shu wraps |date= February 27, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007080309/http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=5b6c82e1ca42c0c4a952c682acd5b192 |archive-date=October 7, 2007 |work=AsianWeek |quote=Everything was well and good with one huge exception: The mu shu wrappers were flour tortillas!|url=http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=5b6c82e1ca42c0c4a952c682acd5b192 }}</ref>

In addition, many restaurants serving more native-style Chinese cuisines exist, due to the high numbers and proportion of ethnic Chinese in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Restaurants specializing in Cantonese, Sichuanese, Hunanese, Northern Chinese, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong traditions are widely available, as are more specialized restaurants such as seafood restaurants, [[Hong Kong-style Western cuisine|Hong Kong-style diners and cafes]], also known as ''[[Cha chaan teng]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=茶餐廳|p=chácāntīng|labels=no}}), [[dim sum]] teahouses, and [[hot pot]] restaurants. Many Chinatown areas also feature [[Chinese bakeries]], [[boba milk tea]] shops, [[siu mei|roasted meat]], [[Chinese Buddhist cuisine|vegetarian cuisine]], and specialized dessert shops.

However, one of the most common American Chinese dishes, [[Chop suey]], is not widely available in [[San Francisco]], and the area's chow mein is different from [[Midwestern]] chow mein.

===Boston===
Chinese cuisine in [[Boston]] results from a combination of economic and regional factors, in association with the wide Chinese [[academic]] scene. The growing [[Boston Chinatown]] accommodates [[Chinatown bus lines|Chinese-owned bus lines]] shuttling an increasing number of passengers to and from the numerous [[Chinese Americans in New York City|Chinatowns in New York City]], and this has led to some exchange between Boston Chinese cuisine and that in New York.

A large [[Fujianese people|Fujianese]] immigrant population has made a home in Boston, leading to [[Fuzhou cuisine]] being readily available there. An increasing [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] population has also had an influence on Chinese cuisine in [[Greater Boston]].

In addition, innovative dishes incorporating [[chow mein]] and [[chop suey]] as well as [[farm-to-table|locally farmed]] produce and regionally procured [[seafood]] are found in Chinese as well as non-Chinese restaurants in and around Boston. The selection of [[Chinese bakery products|Chinese baked products]] has increased markedly in the 21st century, although the range of choices in New York City remains supreme.

[[Joyce Chen (chef)|Joyce Chen]] introduced northern Chinese and Shanghainese dishes to Boston in the 1950s, including [[Peking duck]], [[moo shu pork]], [[hot and sour soup]], and [[potstickers]], which she called "Peking Ravioli" or "Ravs".<ref name=Mennies>{{cite web|last1=Mennies|first1=Leah|title=The Story of Peking Ravioli|url=http://luckypeach.com/the-story-of-peking-ravioli|website=Lucky Peach|date=February 25, 2015 |url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317230442/http://luckypeach.com/the-story-of-peking-ravioli/|archive-date=March 17, 2015}}</ref> Her restaurants were frequented by early pioneers of the [[ARPANET]],<ref>[[Katie Hafner|Hafner, K.]], & Lyon, M. (1996). ''Where wizards stay up late: The origins of the Internet.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, p. 112.</ref> as well as celebrities such as [[John Kenneth Galbraith]], [[James Beard]], [[Julia Child]], [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Beverly Sills]], and [[Danny Kaye]].<ref name=NYT-Obit>{{cite news|title=Joyce Chen, 76, U.S. Popularizer Of Mandarin Cuisine|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/26/obituaries/joyce-chen-76-us-popularizer-of-mandarin-cuisine.html|access-date=April 12, 2019|newspaper=New York Times|date=August 26, 1994|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> A former [[Harvard University]] president called her eating establishment "not merely a restaurant, but a cultural exchange center".<ref name=Robertson>{{cite web|last=Robertson|first=Rain|title=Joyce Chen|url=http://cambridgehistory.org/discover/culinary/joycechen.html|work=Culinary Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge Historical Society|access-date=June 12, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410033814/http://cambridgehistory.org/discover/culinary/joycechen.html|archive-date=April 10, 2015}}</ref> In addition, her single-season [[PBS]] national television series ''Joyce Chen Cooks'' popularized some dishes which could be made at home, and she often encouraged using substitute ingredients when necessary.

===Philadelphia===
The evolving American Chinese cuisine scene in [[Philadelphia]] has similarities with the situation in both New York City and Boston. As with Boston, Philadelphia is experiencing significant [[Chinese immigration]] from [[Chinese in New York City|New York City]], {{convert|95|mi}} to the north,<ref name=ChineseNYCtoPhiladelphia>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/nyregion/philadelphia-new-york-migration-immigrants.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/nyregion/philadelphia-new-york-migration-immigrants.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Leaving New York to Find the American Dream in Philadelphia|first=Matt|last=Katz|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 20, 2018|access-date=April 18, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and from China, the top country of birth by a significant margin for a new arrivals there .<ref name=PhiladelphiaChineseForeignBorn>{{cite news|url=https://www.philly.com/news/immigrants-philly-population-growth-foreign-born-20190510.html|title=Welcome to Philly: Percentage of foreign-born city residents has doubled since 1990|first=Jeff|last=Gammage|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=May 10, 2019|access-date=May 10, 2019|quote=China is, far and away, the primary sending country, with 22,140 city residents who make up about 11 percent of the foreign-born population, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts analysis of Census data. Next is the Dominican Republic with 13,792, followed by Jamaica, 13,500; India, 11,382; and Vietnam, 10,132...About 230,000 Philadelphians are foreign-born. More than a quarter of residents are immigrants or have a foreign-born parent, Pew reported, and 23 percent speak a foreign language at home.}}</ref>

There is a growing Fujianese community in Philadelphia as well, and Fuzhou cuisine is readily available in the [[Philadelphia Chinatown]]. Also, emerging [[Vietnamese cuisine]] in Philadelphia is contributing to evolution in local Chinese cuisine, with some Chinese-American restaurants adopting Vietnamese influences or recipes.

=== Washington, D.C. ===
Although [[Washington, D.C.]]'s Chinese community has not achieved as high of a local profile as that in other major cities along the [[Mid-Atlantic United States]], it is now growing, and rapidly so, due to the [[gentrification]] of [[Chinatown (Washington, D.C.)|DC's Chinatown]] and the status of Washington, D.C., as the [[list of capitals in the United States|capital of the United States]]. The growing Chinese community in D.C. and its suburbs has revitalized the influence of Chinese cuisine in the area.

Washington, D.C.'s population is 1% Chinese, making them the largest single Asian ancestry in the city. However, the Chinese community in the DC area is no longer solely concentrated in the area of Chinatown, which is about 15% Chinese and 25% Asian, but is mostly concentrated throughout various towns in [[suburb]]an [[Maryland]] and [[Northern Virginia]]. The largest concentration of Chinese and Taiwanese in the D.C. area is in [[Rockville, Maryland]], in [[Montgomery County, Maryland|Montgomery County]].

A popular dish localized in Chinese American carryouts across the [[Washington metropolitan area|DMV]] region consists of whole [[fried chicken|fried chicken wings]] served with [[mumbo sauce]], a sweet, tangy ketchup-based condiment.<ref>Ballard, K. (May 9, 2018). ''A brief history of Washington, D.C.'s famous mambo sauce''. Culture Trip. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/washington-dc/articles/a-brief-history-of-washington-d-c-s-famous-mambo-sauce/</ref>

In D.C. proper, there are Chinese-owned restaurants specializing in both Chinese American and authentic Chinese cuisine. Regional variations of Chinese cuisine that restaurants in D.C. specialize in include [[Shanghainese cuisine]], [[Cantonese cuisine]], [[Uyghur cuisine]], [[Mongolian cuisine]], and [[Sichuan cuisine]]. In the suburbs of D.C. in Maryland and Virginia, many of which have a much higher Chinese population than D.C., regional variations present aside from the ones previously mentioned include [[Hong Kong cuisine]], [[Hunan cuisine]], [[Shaanxi cuisine]], [[Taiwanese cuisine]], and [[Yunnan cuisine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plumb |first=Tierney |date=November 10, 2017 |title=The Best Chinese Restaurants Around D.C. |url=https://dc.eater.com/maps/best-chinese-restaurants-dc |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=Eater DC |language=en}}</ref>

===Puerto Rico===
{{Main|Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine}}

===Hawaii===
Hawaiian-Chinese food developed somewhat differently from Chinese cuisine in the [[continental United States]].

Owing to the diversity of [[Pacific]] ethnicities in Hawaii and the history of the [[Chinese immigration to Hawaii|Chinese influence in Hawaii]], resident Chinese cuisine forms a component of the [[cuisine of Hawaii]], which is a [[fusion cuisine|fusion]] of different culinary traditions. Some Chinese dishes are typically served as part of [[plate lunch]]es in Hawaii.

The names of foods are different as well, such as ''[[Manapua]]'', from the Hawaiian contraction of "Mea ono pua'a" or "delicious [[pork]] item" from the dim sum ''bao'', though the meat is not necessarily pork.

===Other regions===
* [[Chow mein sandwich]] — sandwich of chow mein and gravy ([[Southeastern Massachusetts]] and [[Rhode Island]])
* [[Chop suey sandwich]] — sandwich of chicken chop suey on a hamburger bun ([[North Shore (Massachusetts)|North Shore]] of [[Massachusetts]])
* [[St. Paul sandwich]] — [[egg foo young]] patty in plain white [[sandwich bread]] ([[St. Louis, Missouri]])
* [[Cashew chicken|Springfield-style cashew chicken]] — a style of cashew chicken that combines breaded deep-[[fried chicken]], [[cashew nut]]s, and [[oyster sauce]] ([[Springfield, Missouri]])
* [[Almond chicken#almond boneless chicken|War/wor sue gai]] (boneless almond chicken) — bite-sized Southern-style fried chicken with yellow sauce ([[Columbus, Ohio]])
* [[Yaka mein]] — Chinese-Creole food found in [[New Orleans]] that evolved from [[beef noodle soup]]