Although food historians can't really agree on who made the first chow mein and when, this stir-fry dish whose name comes from the Mandarin chǎomiàn and Taishanese chāu-mèing (lit. fried noodles) had probably originated in Northern China.

And even though there are as many varieties of chow mein in China as there are regional cuisines, the method of preparation is basically the same. The noodles are boiled and fried until crispy on the outside but still soft in the middle, then tossed with shredded pieces of meat (chicken, pork, beef or seafood) in a classic stir-fry sauce, which is often flavored with rice wine.

Lastly, they are served topped with cabbage, celery, onions, mushrooms, or bean sprout shoots. Brought to the United States by Chinese immigrants in the 1850s, chow mein showed up on the menus of numerous Chinese restaurants not long after the Americans had already gone crazy about chop suey.

Soon after, to win over Western palates, chow mein was - like many other foreign foods - heavily Americanized. Over time, it became more of a meat dish with deep-fried egg noodles smothered in thick gravy, having little resemblance to the authentic Chinese chow mein. However, with the culinary trends slowly reversing, people are nowadays turning to more traditional recipes.