Duck sauce

This article is about the condiment used in American Chinese cuisine. For the orange sauce used with duck in French cuisine, see duck à l'orange. For the electronic music duo, see Duck Sauce.

Duck sauce
Packets of duck sauce
Traditional Chinese	酸梅醬
Simplified Chinese	酸梅酱
Literal meaning	sour plum sauce
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin suān méi jiàng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping syun1 mui4 zoeng3

Wonton strips served with duck sauce and hot mustard at an American Chinese restaurant.

Duck sauce (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance similar to a thin jelly. Offered at American Chinese restaurants, it is used as a dip^[1] for deep-fried dishes such as wonton strips, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken,^[2] fish, or with rice or noodles. It is often provided in single-serving packets along with soy sauce, mustard, hot sauce or red chili powder. It may be used as a glaze on foods, such as poultry.^[3] Despite its name, the sauce is not prepared using duck meat; rather it is named as such because it is a common accompaniment to Chinese-style duck dishes. ^[4]

Ingredients

It is made of plums,^[4] apricots,^[5] pineapples or peaches^[6] added to sugar, vinegar, ginger and chili peppers. It is used in more traditional Chinese cuisine in the form of plum sauce.

Name

It is speculated that the name "duck sauce" came about because its ancestor, tianmian sauce, was first served with Peking duck in China. When the Chinese emigrated to the U.S., they created Chinese dishes that would appeal more to the American palate, and developed a sweeter version of the sauce used in China.^[7]

See also

• List of dips
• Hoisin sauce
• List of condiments
• List of sauces
• Oyster sauce
• Plum sauce
• Siu haau sauce
• Sweet and sour sauce
• Tianmian sauce

References

1. Dimmick, T. (2003). The Complete Idiot's Guide to 5-Minute Appetizers. Alpha Books. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-59257-134-5.
2. Platkin, C.S. (2008). The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible. Pocket Books. p. 363. ISBN 978-1-4165-6660-1.
3. Geller, J. (2007). Quick & Kosher: Recipes from the Bride who Knew Nothing. Feldheim. p. pt121. ISBN 978-1-58330-960-5.
4. DeMattia, Vince (January–February 1993). "What Is Duck Sauce Anyway!?!". Tampa Bay Magazine. pp. 38–39. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
5. Gannon, B.; Smith, L.; Namkoong, J. (2011). Family-Style Meals at the Hali'Imaile General Store. Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-60774-142-8.
6. Carpender, D. (2010). 1,001 Low-Carb Recipes. Fair Winds Press. p. 465. ISBN 978-1-61673-838-9.
7. Kiniry, Laura. "What Exactly Is Duck Sauce?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved May 7, 2020.