Sweet and sour spare ribs is a popular Chinese dish that is mostly consumed in restaurants since it is somewhat hard to prepare it at home. Spare ribs are first marinated, deep-fried, then dipped in Chinese sweet and sour sauce. Traditionally, the dish is served as an appetizer and is extremely popular in the southern parts of China.

In Chinese culture, pork symbolizes prosperity, so the dish is often prepared and served for Chinese New Year. The Chinese people love to serve sweet and sour dishes during the festive time because the word sour (syun in Cantonese) sounds like the word grandchild when pronounced, giving hope for a new offspring.