Uncovering General Tso

We've all seen it on a Chinese menu: General Tso's Chicken. 

It was at a Chinese restaurant back in the 80's where I first encountered General Tso's and I probably still order it six times a year to this day. In our Wingaddicts adventures we (of course) ordered it as a chicken wing flavor the first time we saw it on a menu, at Sliders in Plainville, CT.

Since that day, we've eaten General Tso's wings at ten different spots and after eating them at Cover Two Sports Cafe in Sandy Hook, CT last night I got to wondering. Who the hell is General Tso?

General Tso's actual name was Zuo Zongtang or (Tso Tsung-t'ang) born in 1812.  He was a prominent 19th century Chinese statesman and military General of the Qing Dynasty, known for his role in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and driving out Russian forces from Xinjiang. 

In a long and productive life which included an impressive military career followed by a large role in Chinese philosophy, what may have inspired Tso to create a wing sauce? Nothing. He didn't.

It wasn't until 90 years after Tso's death (1970's) that a Taiwanese chef named Peng Chang-kuei, who specialized in Hunan cuisine, created the now world-famous flavor.

Peng had been a chef apprentice in Hunan, China before fleeing to Taiwan after the communist takeover by Mao Zedong and opening his own restaurant there. Legend has it that during a late night visit from the U.S. Navy’s Admiral Arthur W. Radford in 1952, Peng had run out of ingredients. Wanting to impress the Admiral he diced up and fried some chicken chunks and improvised a dish using a sweet and spicy sauce. (Ironically similar to the story of how Buffalo wings were invented).

The admiral was impressed with the dish and asked its name. Peng spontaneously named it after the famous Hunan General, Tso. 

Peng emigrated to New York City in 1973 and opened his own restaurant, Uncle Peng's Hunan Yuan, where General Tso's chicken was featured on his menu. It became an instant hit in the US and spread to Chinese restaurants nationwide. 

So there's a little Wing Wisdom for minds that want to know. Just in case you were wondering! Wings up!

                                                           ________________

Tommy Wyatt is co-founder of Wingaddicts and author of  this “Under the Wingfluence" blog. He can be reached directly by email at tommy@wingaddicts.com 

Join Facebook’s largest private group of wing enthusiasts "Wingaddicts Community" , check out nearly 500 YouTube videos and shorts, and follow them on all social media platforms @wingaddicts.  Also, don't forget to download the most-inclusive chicken wing app in the world, for FREE in your app store or by clicking this link!