{{Short description|Chopped char siu and vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce}} {{Italic title}}{{Infobox food | name = Jar jow | name_italics = true | type = Stir fry | course = Main course | place_of_origin = East London | associated_cuisine = British Chinese cuisine | served = Hot | main_ingredient = {{plainlist| * Char siu * Bamboo shoots * Onions * Peppers }} }}
'''''Jar jow''''' is a dish from British Chinese cuisine made from chopped char siu and vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce. It is strongly associated with East London and is thought to have originated in Limehouse.
== History == The dish is believed to have been brought to the Limehouse district of London by Cantonese or Shanghainese dockworkers in the late 18th or early 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Dunlop |first=Fuchsia |date=March 19, 2021 |title=How the British-Chinese takeaway took off |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d94c22f6-90e2-4bda-b5a0-5f89e565b1c3 |access-date=2025-09-07 |website=Financial Times}}</ref> Cassie Womack, in an article for ''Tasting Table'', reported that the dish was reputed to be based on "Beijing noodle sauce".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Womack |first=Cassie |date=2023-05-04 |title=The Difference Between British And American Chinese Takeout |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1276323/difference-between-british-american-chinese-takeout/ |access-date=2025-09-07 |website=Tasting Table |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Jar jow'' was one of the most popular dishes at Maxim's restaurant in Soho, a Cantonese food restaurant founded by Chung Koon in 1908.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Muston |first=Samuel |date=January 19, 2012 |title=The chopstick effect: Celebrate Chinese food's rich history in the Year of the Dragon |url=https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/food-and-drink/features/the-chopstick-effect-celebrate-chinese-food-s-rich-history-in-the-year-of-the-dragon-6292143.html |work=The Independent}}</ref> The dish became a popular takeaway item at Chinese restaurants in East London.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hui |first=Angela |date=2022-07-21 |title=What It’s Like Growing Up in a Beloved Chinese Takeaway |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-its-like-growing-up-in-a-beloved-chinese-takeaway/ |access-date=2025-09-07 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> Outside of East London, ''jar jow'' is not widely served or eaten.<ref name=":0" /> [[File:Li Wah Dim Sum-34 (6737600771).jpg|thumb|Pieces of char siu are stir fried with vegetables and sauce to make <nowiki>''jar jow''</nowiki>.]] ''Jar jow'' has become less popular in the late 20th and early 21st century,<ref name=":2" /> although it still has a loyal local following in East London. Its decline was partly due to the demise of the Chinatown neighborhood in Limehouse after the district was bombed in World War II. After the bombings, a new Chinatown was established in Soho by immigrants from Hong Kong. This led to the gradual disappearance of traditional Chinese restaurants in Limehouse. Reporting on the state of Chinese cuisine in London in 2021, Fuchsia Dunlop of ''Financial Times'' described the "almost total disappearance of the Chinese and their old ''Jar Jow'' from Limehouse".<ref name=":0" /> The increasing popularity of American Chinese cuisine in England, such as chop suey and chow mein, has also contributed to the decreasing popularity of traditional British Chinese dishes like jar jow.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" />
== Description == Jar jow is prepared by stir frying slices of barbecue pork, called char siu, in oil with pork rinds, bamboo shoots, green bell peppers, and onions. It is then coated in a tomato paste-based sauce that has been thickened with starch. The sauce may include chilli powder and other seasonings.<ref name=":0" /> This sauce has been described as sweet and sour.<ref name=":1" />
== References == <references /> Category:British fusion cuisine Category:Chinese fusion cuisine Category:British pork dishes Category:Chinese pork dishes