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brooklynite

(93,847 posts)
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:28 PM Dec 2016

The Creator of General Tso's Chicken Has Died

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by In_The_Wind (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Grub Street

In the canon of 20th-century foods, there are few if any dishes that loom larger than General Tsos Chicken. Its a ubiquitous staple of Chinese restaurants, of which there are more in the United States than Burger Kings, Dominos, McDonalds, Pizza Huts, and Wendys combined. When people talk about Chinese-American food theyre probably talking about General Tsos chicken, and its as much a staple comfort food that Americans cling to as pizza or wings. On Wednesday, the chef whos often credited with inventing the iconic dish, Peng Chang-kuei, died from pneumonia at the age of 98.

Peng was born in Changsha, Hunan, and named his creation, its flavors inspired by his homes cuisine, for one of the provinces famous generals. But as was documented by both Chinese-food authority Fuchsia Dunlop, who wrote an acclaimed cookbook about Hunanese food, and in the documentary Search for General Tso, no one in Hunan really knows about the dish. Thats because it was invented in Taiwan, where a lot of Chinas classically trained chefs fled after the Chinese Civil War. Peng had serious chops: He trained under Hunanese chef Cao Jing-chen, the family cook for one of Chinas former prime ministers, and ran Nationalist government banquets after World War II. Like a lot of Chinas great cooks, who by virtue of their vocation had ties to the upper class, he fled to Taiwan after the fall of the Nationalist government in 1949.

Three years later, according to Peng, he invented the dish that would become a staple of the American diet while cooking for American Admiral Arthur W. Radford. He brought it to the United States in 1971 when he opened a restaurant in New York one Mimi Sheraton of the New York Times called it a stir‐fried masterpiece and it soon became a craze. It quickly landed at Shun Lee Palace, where RedFarm owner and Chinese-food obsessive Ed Schoenfeld says Chef T. T. Wang made it tarter and sweeter to accommodate the American palate. Peng tried to launch a chain of restaurants in the United States, and while his plans were foiled, his creation swept the nation. But drop into any Chinese-American restaurant from Anchorage, Alaska, to Harrisonville, Missouri, to Garden City, Long Island, and youll find General Tsos on the menu.

Read more: http://www.grubstreet.com/2016/12/creator-of-general-tsos-chicken-has-died.html?mid=twitter_grubst

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Creator of General Tso's Chicken Has Died (Original Post) brooklynite Dec 2016 OP
so did the big mac guy JI7 Dec 2016 #1
And he also died at age 98. kwassa Dec 2016 #6
Yep. I ordered one after work... awoke_in_2003 Dec 2016 #14
First the Big Mac; now this. mahatmakanejeeves Dec 2016 #2
I would be a few pounds lighter Table Dec 2016 #3
That and Mongolian beef are my favorites. George likes it spicy NWCorona Dec 2016 #4
MB, ordered extra spicy... awoke_in_2003 Dec 2016 #15
He was... the Tso-sen one! Beartracks Dec 2016 #5
If we don't call our Chinese place on Friday night they call us to see if everything's okay underpants Dec 2016 #7
Lol. I just call and tell the usual. Lochloosa Dec 2016 #9
Sounds like me and the wife... awoke_in_2003 Dec 2016 #16
Love me some General Tsao's tofu! JudyM Dec 2016 #8
Encasing small pieces of chicken in breading Warpy Dec 2016 #10
I remember when people who marybourg Dec 2016 #11
My first chinese ... GeorgeGist Dec 2016 #12
that's a shame; General Tso's chicken is a good example TuslaUltra Dec 2016 #13
Welcome to DU... awoke_in_2003 Dec 2016 #17
you tube how to make trueblue2007 Dec 2016 #18
Wow, I didn't know the history of the dish IronLionZion Dec 2016 #19
So does anyone cook it in Taiwan, or is it an American-only dish? (nt) muriel_volestrangler Dec 2016 #20
My friends are from yuiyoshida Dec 2016 #25
My wife is from the mainland and we live there. No one knows what this "gou liang" is Feeling the Bern Dec 2016 #26
Wow. R.I.P. BumRushDaShow Dec 2016 #21
This message was self-deleted by its author eppur_se_muova Dec 2016 #22
I've always wanted to name one of my goats General Tso. hollowdweller Dec 2016 #23
We have it on our highschool cafeteria menu tavernier Dec 2016 #24
Maybe that's why The Donald called Taiwan Ellen Forradalom Dec 2016 #27

JI7

(89,173 posts)
1. so did the big mac guy
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:30 PM
Dec 2016

kwassa

(23,340 posts)
6. And he also died at age 98.
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:44 PM
Dec 2016

Must be in the food he ate.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
14. Yep. I ordered one after work...
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:42 PM
Dec 2016

on the day he died. The idiots made it with no top bun- they used a bottom bun in its place. How do you have a Big Mac without the sesame seeds? On Saturdays, the wife and I go to our local Chinese joint (been going there for 15 years or so), so I guess I know what I will be ordering.

mahatmakanejeeves

(56,888 posts)
2. First the Big Mac; now this.
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:31 PM
Dec 2016

Solvers of crossword puzzles everywhere are in mourning.

 

Table

(36 posts)
3. I would be a few pounds lighter
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:32 PM
Dec 2016

if they had not invented that dish!

NWCorona

(8,541 posts)
4. That and Mongolian beef are my favorites. George likes it spicy
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:37 PM
Dec 2016
 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
15. MB, ordered extra spicy...
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:43 PM
Dec 2016

is my go to dish.

Beartracks

(12,761 posts)
5. He was... the Tso-sen one!
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:37 PM
Dec 2016

RIP Peng.

And thanks for the post, brooklynite; I didn't realize that my favorite dish on the local Chinese buffet was such an ubiquitous -- and American -- entree.

===================

underpants

(182,273 posts)
7. If we don't call our Chinese place on Friday night they call us to see if everything's okay
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:46 PM
Dec 2016

Seriously at this point they should just show up with $25 worth of food - they are bound to get most of it right.

Lochloosa

(16,018 posts)
9. Lol. I just call and tell the usual.
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:49 PM
Dec 2016
 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
16. Sounds like me and the wife...
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:44 PM
Dec 2016

we have been going to the same place about once a week for 15 years or so. When I do order carry out, they recognize my voice on the phone.

JudyM

(29,122 posts)
8. Love me some General Tsao's tofu!
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 05:48 PM
Dec 2016


Trader Joe's makes a fairly decent bottled version of the sauce. Anyone else have a favorite brand?

RIP, honored chef!

Warpy

(110,900 posts)
10. Encasing small pieces of chicken in breading
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:10 PM
Dec 2016

was a way to stretch one chicken to feed a huge crowd. About the only saving grace of this dish is the hot sauce it's served in. Alas, there are too many bad restaurants out there that make it sugary as well as spicy, totally foul.

marybourg

(12,540 posts)
11. I remember when people who
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:13 PM
Dec 2016

talked about Chinese food (in NYC) were talking about chow mein. There was chicken, shrimp or plain (vegetarian now).

GeorgeGist

(25,294 posts)
12. My first chinese ...
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:14 PM
Dec 2016

was General Tso's chicken. Never looked back.

 

TuslaUltra

(75 posts)
13. that's a shame; General Tso's chicken is a good example
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:22 PM
Dec 2016

of the cultural pluses diversity brings us.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
17. Welcome to DU...
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:46 PM
Dec 2016

the thing I miss about Cleveland the most is the ethnic diversity. With that comes a lot of great food. I haven't had a decent pierogi since 1992.

trueblue2007

(17,138 posts)
18. you tube how to make
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:48 PM
Dec 2016

Published on Jul 22, 2013

Who is General Tso and what makes his Chicken so delicious? Find out as Chef Katie Chin unravels the mystery and magic so that you make make this delicious dish right in your own kitchen.

IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
19. Wow, I didn't know the history of the dish
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:54 PM
Dec 2016

I always figured it was something Americans made up, fried chicken in sweet sauce, that just happens to be everywhere in our country and nowhere else.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,150 posts)
20. So does anyone cook it in Taiwan, or is it an American-only dish? (nt)
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 06:59 PM
Dec 2016

yuiyoshida

(41,759 posts)
25. My friends are from
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 08:33 PM
Dec 2016

Taipei and Hong Kong and have never heard of it.

 

Feeling the Bern

(3,839 posts)
26. My wife is from the mainland and we live there. No one knows what this "gou liang" is
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 11:36 PM
Dec 2016

gou liang (狗粮 means dog food.

BumRushDaShow

(127,295 posts)
21. Wow. R.I.P.
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 07:03 PM
Dec 2016

I've been making my own the past couple years.

Response to brooklynite (Original post)

 

hollowdweller

(4,229 posts)
23. I've always wanted to name one of my goats General Tso.
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 07:14 PM
Dec 2016

Such a cool name.

tavernier

(12,322 posts)
24. We have it on our highschool cafeteria menu
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 08:17 PM
Dec 2016

every few weeks. (My daughter is the cook for 3 schools in our county). Basically just chicken nuggets in sweet and sour sauce with broccoli, but the kids love it. Something different with a nice flavor.

Funny story... once years ago my friend who was the refrigeration guy at all the local restaurants went to our local Chinese, to the back door. While there he noticed the owner and son running over a board with a package on it with their truck. Jon, curious, asked what it was. They told him, "Pressed duck."

Ellen Forradalom

(16,159 posts)
27. Maybe that's why The Donald called Taiwan
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 11:49 PM
Dec 2016

To offer his condolences.

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