The Multicultural Origins Of Sweet And Sour Chicken
For most of us, no Chinese restaurant order is complete without a serving of sweet and sour chicken. The typical platter of sweet and sour chicken consists of vibrant colored, syrupy sauce drizzled over fried, crispy nuggets of chicken, and is usually accompanied by a fruit and vegetable medley of onions, peppers, and pineapple, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. It's got a touch more zest and acid to it than, say, sesame chicken, another American Chinese go-to — but it's less cloyingly sweet than orange chicken, which has a sauce literally made of orange juice. Although these flavors and ingredients for sweet and sour chicken feel ubiquitous, they're actually just one variation on the sauce...
