Chop Suey

The name “chop suey” comes from the Chinese za sui or Cantonese shap sui, meaning “mixed bits.” As a culinary term, za sui is similar to western hash: it is an assemblage of ingredients, often leftovers, cooked together to make a simple dish. When Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States during the late nineteenth century, they brought with them their culinary traditions. Many were from the town of Taishan in South China’s Guangdong province, where farmers often made stews and stir-fries from whatever ingredients were available.