Peng Chang-kuei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Chinese name, the family name is Peng.
Peng Chang-kuei
Peng Chang-kuei.jpg
Born(1919-09-26)September 26, 1919
Changsha, Hunan province, China
DiedNovember 30, 2016(2016-11-30) (aged 97)
Taipei, Taiwan
OccupationChef
ChildrenChuck Peng (son) and Walter Peng (son)

Peng Chang-kuei (Chinese: 彭長貴; pinyin: Péng Zhǎngguì; 1919–2016) was a Taiwanese chef who is generally credited with being the creator of General Tso's chicken, a popular Chinese dish in Western countries.[1][2]

Early life[]

Peng was born on September 26, 1919, in Changsha, Hunan Province in the Republic of China.[3] He cooked for the Nationalist government, serving as personal chef to Chiang Kai-shek, before fleeing to Taiwan in 1949.[4]

Culinary career[]

Peng first prepared his new Hunanese dish of chicken and chilies, naming it after General Zuo Zongtang, at a state banquet during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis.[3][5][6] Peng then served General Tso's chicken in his restaurants in Taipei. When Hunanese restaurants opened in New York City in 1972, they served an adapted version of General Tso's chicken.[5]

Peng emigrated to New York City in 1973 and opened his own restaurant, Uncle Peng’s Hunan Yuan, near the United Nations.[5] He returned to Taiwan in the 1980s to open a chain of Peng Yuan restaurants, later opening a branch in his hometown of Changsha.[3][5]

Personal[]

Peng married three times and had seven children. He died from pneumonia in Taipei, Taiwan in November 2016.[6][7]

References[]

  1. ^ Editor, Hilary Hanson Viral News; Post, The Huffington (2016-12-02). "Chef Peng Chang-kuei, General Tso's Chicken Inventor, Dies At 98". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-03.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "General Tso's Chicken creator, Chef Peng Chang-Kuei, is dead". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  3. ^ a b c Langer, Emily (2016-12-02). "Peng Chang-kuei, credited as creator of General Tso's chicken, dies at 97". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  4. ^ "Taiwanese chef who invented General Tso's chicken dies, aged 97". The Straits Times. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Grimes, William (2 December 2016). "Peng Chang-kuei, Chef Behind General Tso's Chicken, Dies at 98". New York Times. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b Everington, Keoni (2 December 2016). "Inventor of General Tso's Chicken dies in Taipei at age 98". Taiwan News. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  7. ^ Bateman, Joshua (December 6, 2016). "Remembering the Creator of General Tso's Chicken". Time. The chef, who had two children from a marriage in mainland China and five from a second marriage in Taiwan, was 97 years old by Western reckoning.

External links[]

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