Tom Daley's sweet & sour chicken | Jamie Oliver recipe (2024)

FAQs

Where did the recipe sweet and sour chicken come from? ›

The origin of sweet and sour chicken was in the 18th century or even earlier from China. It spread to the United States in the early 20th century after the Chinese migrant gold miners and railroad workers turned to cookery as trades. In some countries, the dish is known as Ku lo yuk.

This delicious combination is tossed with a tangy sweet and sour sauce and served over a bed of rice for a meal that is bursting with flavor.

Sweet and sour chicken is a dish frequently served in Chinese restaurants in various countries in Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America and available at some restaurants in East Asia and Southeast Asia in an essentially identical version.

It is said that this sauce evolved from the Cantonese culinary tradition, emigrating to the United States in the late 1800s and evolving into what we know today. However, China is a massive country with a long history and huge variety of food cultures; each province has its own sweet and sour cooking traditions.

While originating from China in the 1700s, sweet and sour sauce developed into the popular sauce it is today in America during the late 19th century.

Sweet and sour pork, or guō bāo ròu, is one of the dishes served in American Chinese restaurants that doesn't have its roots in Cantonese cooking. Instead, it's from the colder climes of northeastern China, in a city called Harbin in Heilongjiang province.

The original recipe was Shanghainese and used black vinegar. It's not meant to be orange, but black. But somewhere along the way, ketchup replaced the vinegar and it turned orange in the UK. Now that dish is called Sweet and Sour Chicken—Hong Kong style.

Guo Bao Rou (锅包肉) is a classic dish from Northeast China, originating in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Zheng Xingwen (郑兴文), the private chef for the highest officials in the Harbin government, first created this dish in the early 20th century.