Nothing says “cozy night in” like Chinese takeout and sweatpants. But when you think of Chinese food, are you thinking about North American-style Chinese food or authentic Chinese food? And what really is the difference between the two?

There are actually many differences between North American-style Chinese food and authentic Chinese food — that is, the type of food regularly cooked and consumed across China. While both are delicious, they use different ingredients and therefore have different taste and flavor profiles. Even the way that these dishes are cooked are different, leading to two distinct cuisines.

One of the most significant differences between North American-style Chinese food and authentic Chinese food is that in China, there is a huge variety in food cultures. This comes from China’s diversity in geography and weather as well as people and culture. In fact, there are eight distinct Chinese cuisines, and each distinct cuisine has its own unique flavor profile, ingredients list, and traditions around meals. For example, Sichuanese food tends to be intensely spicey with peppercorns numbing the mouth, while Fujian food emphasizes umami and uses more earthly ingredients.

This is very different from North American-style Chinese food, which comes in only one broad category (“Chinese food”). While North American Chinese restaurants offer dishes from a few of China’s regions, they are hardly comprehensive in their menus and don’t generally specialize in one Chinese cuisine or another.

There are also differences between ingredients, taste profiles, and cooking styles — read on to learn more!

What’s the difference between the ingredients?

North American-style Chinese food has been adapted to use ingredients more commonly found in North America, which means that some of the authentic ingredients have been swapped out. Authentic Chinese food tends to use vegetables like bok choy or Chinese water spinach, which are harder to find in North America unless you go to an Asian market — and not every city in North America has an Asian market. Instead, many North American-style Chinese restaurants will substitute greens like broccoli or snow peas. In fact, authentic Chinese food generally doesn’t include raw or uncooked vegetables or ingredients, unlike North American-style Chinese food. Authentic Chinese ingredients include mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and seafood found in Chinese seas or streams. Some of these ingredients aren’t accessible in North America.

North American-style Chinese food also uses ingredients like MSG and cream, which aren’t often found in authentic Chinese food. The greatest example is the crab rangoon, which is a fried pastry with cream cheese filling. Dairy isn’t commonly used in authentic Chinese food, making this a more non-traditional dish in the global Chinese cuisine.

North American-style Chinese food also includes more meat dishes than are usually found in authentic Chinese food including beef, pork, and chicken. Authentic Chinese dishes also include these meats but also use all parts of the animal or even animals that are not eaten in North America. Examples of this are chicken feet, duck tongues, or snakes.

What’s the difference between the taste?

With different ingredients comes different tastes, and the flavor profiles between North American-style Chinese food and authentic Chinese food tend to differ quite distinctly — and both are delightfully delicious.

The audience for North American-style Chinese food is North Americans, whose palates are more geared towards salty and sweet flavors. North American-style Chinese food relies on MSG for much of its flavor, which indeed makes it delicious but perhaps takes away from its authenticity. And, of course, it would be remiss to not mention the grease factor — North American-style Chinese food is usually more greasy than its authentic counterparts. But hey, that’s why it’s the ideal takeout.

What’s the difference between the cooking style?

In North American-style Chinese food, the wok gets a lot of action and so does the deep fryer. With a heavier contemporary emphasis on health, some Chinese restaurants have adapted their cooking processes to include more sauteing, though North American-style Chinese food still tends to use more oils in its cooking process than authentic Chinese food. Contrastingly, authentic Chinese food instead relies on boiling, steaming, and roasting. These cooking methods also change the taste of many dishes.

Looking to order some Chinese food? Using CaterCow, you can filter by cuisine. You can also filter by buffet or individual portions, as well as packages or restaurants. Whichever type of Chinese food you’re after, you’re in for a wonderful meal!