Ginger beef is a Canadian Chinese dish made from beef, ginger, and a distinctive sweet sauce.

Ginger beef
Ginger beef served on a plate
CourseMain dishes
Place of originCanada
Region or stateAlberta
Main ingredientsBeef, ginger, sweet sauce
Ingredients generally usedGarlic, hot peppers, sugar, soy sauce, cooking oil, cornstarch
Variationscarrot, onion

The ingredients of ginger beef can depend on where it is featured, but the Albertan version generally consists of deep fried strips of beef coated in a dark sweet sauce that is reminiscent of other Asian sauces based on vinegar and sugar. It also contains flavors of ginger, garlic, and hot peppers, and is commonly served with a small amount of julienned carrots and onions in the sauce.[1] Ginger beef is derived from the original Geung Ngao Yuk (Chinese: 薑牛肉) dish.

The Silver Inn, in Calgary

As with many dishes, the invention of ginger beef is claimed by several restaurants and chefs. However, the most widely accepted origin attributes the dish's development during the mid-1970s by chef George Wong at the Silver Inn in Calgary, Alberta.[2][3][4][5] The dish is now a very common offering in Canadian Chinese restaurants.[4][5][6] A radio segment featuring ginger beef was aired on CBC Radio One programme The Main Ingredient.[7] In September 2022, the Silver Inn announced it would permanently close after serving the community for 45 years.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Calgary Style Ginger Beef Recipe". ChowTown. October 21, 2009.
  2. ^ "Chop Suey on the Prairies". Royal Alberta Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-08-29.
  3. ^ "Chinese New Year: Silver Inn, Calgary". CBC News. February 15, 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-03-30.
  4. ^ a b Beneteau, Greg (March 12, 2013). "7 Iconic Calgary Foods: Chicago has deep-dish pizza. Boston has baked beans. What about Calgary?". Avenue Calgary.
  5. ^ a b Wingrove, Josh (April 30, 2013). "The Chinese restaurant as a Prairie icon". The Globe and Mail.
  6. ^ Gillmor, Alison (July 28, 2012). "History on a plate: Heritage of the Chinese restaurant is both sweet and sour, a mixture of outmoded stereotypes and genuine cultural exchange". Winnipeg Free Press.
  7. ^ Chang, Joan (August 23, 2010). "Episode 9: Canadian Edition". The Main Ingredient. CBC Radio One.
  8. ^ Short, Hogan (September 26, 2022). "Silver Inn Restaurant: Calgary restaurant shutting down next month". The Daily Hive.