Chinese beef and broccoli has become a staple menu item in many Chinese restaurants across America. The dish consists of sliced beef and broccoli florets that are stir-fried in a savory brown sauce. But despite its popularity, the origins of this tasty dish are not entirely clear.
When was beef and broccoli first mentioned in America?
One of the earliest mentions of beef and broccoli in America comes from a New York Times article from 1944. The article talks about Chinese restaurants in New York City and lists “shredded beef with broccoli” as one of the popular menu items. This suggests the dish was already known and served in Chinese restaurants in NYC by the mid-1940s.
In the 1950s, beef and broccoli gained more widespread popularity across the United States. Chinese restaurants outside of NYC began listing it on their menus. A 1958 menu from a Chinese restaurant in Minnesota offered “Shredded Beef with Broccoli” for $2.50. Its growing prominence across the country shows how the dish was spreading beyond just the New York area.
When did beef and broccoli appear in Chinese cookbooks?
Though clearly popular on restaurant menus, beef and broccoli did not appear in early Chinese cookbooks published in America. It is conspicuously absent from influential Chinese cookbooks like Buwei Yang Chao’s 1945 “How to Cook and Eat in Chinese” and Grace Zia Chu’s 1949 “Madame Chu’s Chinese Cooking School.”
The first major Chinese cookbook to include a beef and broccoli recipe was Joyce Chen’s 1962 book “Joyce Chen Cook Book.” Chen provides a recipe for “Shredded Beef with Broccoli” made with sliced flank steak, soy sauce, sugar, corn starch, and oyster sauce. This marked the dish’s debut in a significant English language Chinese cookbook.
When did beef and broccoli spread to China?
Ironically, while the dish was growing very popular in the U.S. in the 1950s and 60s, it was still largely unknown in China. Beef in general was not widely consumed in China until the late 1970s and 1980s. But starting the in 1990s, Chinese people began traveling and studying abroad in the West in greater numbers. They were introduced to popular “Chinese” dishes like beef and broccoli while abroad.
When they returned to China, they replicated foreign interpretations of Chinese food for friends and family. Thus, beef and broccoli eventually migrated back to China after first becoming popularized in the U.S. Today you can find the dish at many restaurants in Chinese cities, especially in more international areas. But the tradition and history of beef and broccoli in China is still much shorter compared to America.
Origins in Chinese communities abroad
Since beef and broccoli does not appear to have direct origins in China itself, many food historians look to the Chinese diaspora abroad. In particular, they believe the dish likely emerged from the Chinese communities in New York City or San Francisco in the early 20th century.
Chinese immigrants to America initially struggled to find ingredients like bok choy and Chinese broccoli. So they adapted by using regular American broccoli instead. Beef was also far more widely available and affordable in the U.S. compared to pork or chicken. These factors likely led Chinese cooks to create dishes like beef and broccoli catered to local American tastes and ingredients.
New York Chinatown origins
Many theories point to New York City’s Chinatown in Manhattan as the specific place where beef and broccoli originated. NYC has the oldest and largest Chinatown in America, established in the 1870s. Chinese immigrants there faced the challenges of lacking authentic ingredients and catering their food to American patrons.
Beef and broccoli may have first appeared on menus at restaurants along Mott Street in Chinatown. According to Chinese cooking expert Grace Young, “The dish was invented, like many Chinese-American dishes, by the early Cantonese immigrants who had to improvise Chinese cooking with ingredients found in the U.S.”
San Francisco origins theories
However, other food scholars argue beef and broccoli first emerged from the Chinese community in San Francisco in the late 1800s or early 1900s. San Francisco also had one of the earliest Chinatowns and Chinese immigrant populations in America.
Theories suggest Chinese railroad workers and miners may have prepared simple stir-fries using beef and vegetables at their campsites. These traveling workers could have spread the dish to restaurants in cities like San Francisco and New York. While plausible, these theories lack concrete historical documentation.
Key features of beef and broccoli
Whatever its exact origins, beef and broccoli clearly evolved as a Chinese American dish adapted to local American ingredients and tastes. It has a few key attributes that reflect this history:
- Use of non-traditional beef instead of pork or chicken
- Use of broccoli rather than Chinese broccoli or gai lan
- A flavor profile catered to American tastes – sweeter and less spicy
- A quick stir-fry preparation suitable for a commercial restaurant kitchen
These distinguishing features help explain how the dish was invented by resourceful Chinese immigrants trying to run successful restaurants. Beef and broccoli’s origins and evolution reveal the ingenuity and adaptability of Chinese culture in integrating with American society while preserving its culinary traditions.
| Year | Historical development |
|---|---|
| Late 1800s | Chinese immigrants establish Chinatowns in major cities like NYC and San Francisco |
| Early 1900s | Chinese restaurants catering to non-Chinese diners start to emerge in these cities |
| 1910s-1930s | Some theories suggest beef & broccoli could have emerged during this period as Chinese laborers spread new recipe |
| 1940s | “Shredded beef with broccoli” appears on menus at Chinese restaurants in NYC |
| 1950s-60s | The dish becomes widely popular at Chinese restaurants across America |
| 1962 | First published beef & broccoli recipe in Joyce Chen’s cookbook |
| 1990s | Beef & broccoli returns back to China through exposure of students and travelers abroad |
Conclusion
While its precise origins are obscure, beef and broccoli likely emerged in the early 20th century as a Chinese American creation. Chinese immigrants cleverly adapted ingredients available in America and catered to local tastes. Over many decades, the dish became a staple menu item in Chinese restaurants across the country. Its eventual return to China also reflects the ongoing cultural exchanges within the broader Chinese diaspora. Beef and broccoli’s unique history provides insight into the adaptable nature of Chinese cuisine and immigrant communities abroad.