British Chinese Food Would Probably Flabbergast Most Americans

The story of Chinese cuisine in the U.K. begins in the 1800s and has colonialism at its helm. British trading routes broadened to include Hong Kong and the New Territories, and the shipping expansion led to a number of men from Southern China being hired by English companies and migrating to U.K. port cities. In order to set up a life in their new home, these men started noodle shops for sailors and the Chinese diaspora. After World War II, laws were changed and there was an influx of immigration, resulting in the number of Chinese restaurants in the U.K. doubling between 1957 and 1964. They didn't just recreate dishes from their respective regions in China, they started fusing them with British staples to please British diners and reach a wider customer base. If you examine the menus of British Chinese takeaways and British fish-and-chips shops, you'll probably find several similarities. Chinese immigrants who opened restaurants and takeaways leaned into the familiar and thus created a kind of fusion cuisine that endured and became one of the most popular in the U.K..