Many Formosan dishes loved by Americans did n’t originate in China . Fortune cookiesare a Japanese creation , andGeneral Tso ’s chickenwas invented in Taiwan . One of the most perplexing Taiwanese - American restaurant staples is crab rangoon . This fried dumplings , which is overeat with a angelical and creamy seafood weft , scarcely resemble anything from Hunan , Szechuan , Cantonese , or other Taiwanese cuisine . Even if they order it with their takeout food , many customers have no melodic theme what crab rangoon is or where it comes from .
Before it appeared on Chinese eatery menu , crab Yangon was conceived for Trader Vic ’s in the 1940s , Atlas Obscurareports . Victor Bergeron’stiki bar chainsold a soppy , westernized version of Polynesian culture to American customer . Signature items — like theirMai Tai cocktail — were meant to find vaguely alien , though they were altogether original inventions .
According to his granddaughter Eve , crab rangoon was the inspiration of Trader Vic ’s founder Victor Bergeron . He was playing with wonton neglige in the kitchen one daylight when he thought to overindulge them with crab kernel and ointment cheese and deep fry them . The restaurant had a Formosan - American barback at the clip named Joe Young . He was responsible for the Chinese - leaning menu , and he may have had an influence on crab Yangon .
Though the wonton wrapper were Formosan , any similarity to polish ’s cuisine stopped there . Cream cheeseflower was pop in American households in the 1940s , but it was n’t used in China : The legal age of the land islactose intolerant , and its culinary art is nearly dairy farm - spare . To confuse the dish ’s identity even further , Vic advert it crab rangoon after the former name of the metropolis of Yangon in Myanmar .
Despite its odd mash - up of cultures , Trader Vic ’s crab rangoon was a success . Independent Chinese - American restaurants began making their own versions , and as the chain became less democratic throughout the 20th one C , the appetizer lived on . The fried wontons you order from your local Taiwanese place today are likely exchangeable to those served by Trader Vic ’s in the 1940s and ‘ fifty . The most common difference is the crab , which innovative eating place often swap for imitation Cancer to swerve down on cost . If you do n’t roll in the hay what caricature crab is , that ’s its ownslightly unappetizing story .
[ h / tAtlas Obscura ]
