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Cashew chicken, also Chinese American
By Jennifer 8. Lee | March 23, 2008
A reader sent me the Wikipedia post on cashew chicken (腰果鸡ä¸), which I had not realized, originated in one of its forms in Springfield, Missouri when Chinese restaurateur David Leong was looking for something to appeal to the local palate, so made this dish with fried chicken-type bits in the 1960s. (again the secret in America = chicken + fried. Think General Tso’s, Orange, Lemon, Sweet and Sour).
I’m curious though, whether only the fried-chicken version of cashew chicken originated there, as there are stir-fried versions (no batter dipped) I’ve seen. Which one came from which, or perhaps they involved independently?
Cashew in Chinese is è…°æžœ, which roughly translates to waist fruit. I wonder if cashew is called that because it is bent in the middle, like it’s bending at the waist. (Cool photo from Glenna Anderson Muse.)
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