Chinese Food - as it arrived in India

 Earlier Chinese migrants to India (1778) were Cantonese, who specialized in carpentry. As they made Kolkata as their home, they flourished in the business of Tea, Porcelain, and Chinese Silk.


Kolkata was the hub, from where merchandise moved to England and Portugal.

By 1850, Hakka Chinese from Central China arrived in Kolkata. They settled in Boubazar and Moulali.

Hakka and Cantonese though both from China did not see each other eye to eye. With history of conflict in mainland China, the same was repeated here at Kolkata.

Hakka Chinese could not compete with Cantonese. So, they started the business of Home cooked Chinese food (noodles).

First Chinese food outlet was opened in the same building where "Tung Nam" restaurant (Tiretti) is housed at present.




Chinese food was outright success. It tinkled the Indian Test Buds.

Cantonese saw the opportunity in the business, by being suppliers of condiments for Chinese food. They supplied sauces for Chinese food.

Soon, the cuisine was Indianized. With time, it captured the market. It is still the most loved cuisine for Indian masses.

In 1908, Hakka Chinese settled in Tangra, where they established tanneries and Chinese Food Joints (Still Popular)





India invented Manchurian food.

The word "Manchurian" means native or inhabitant of Manchuria (around northeast China), but the dish is a creation of Chinese restaurants in India and bears little resemblance to traditional Manchu cuisine or Northeastern Chinese cuisine.

It is said to have been invented in 1975 by Nelson Wang, a cook at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, when a customer asked him to create a new dish, different from what was available on the menu.

Wang described his invention process as starting from the basic ingredients of an Indian dish, namely chopped garlic, ginger, and green chilis, but next, instead of adding garam masala, he put in soy sauce, followed by cornstarch and the chicken itself.

A popular vegetarian variant replaces chicken with cauliflower,[3] and is commonly known as "Gobi Manchurian". Other vegetarian variants include mushroom, baby corn, and veggie ball Manchurian.

India is the land of assimilations. It churns the concepts and transforms them to its own version - Be it civilizations - be it food.

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