A number of beans appear in desserts around the world, but fillings and puddings made from red adzuki beans, black beans, and mung beans are a staple of Chinese desserts. Red bean paste has a sweet, earthy taste, and it is used to fill buns, cakes, puddings, and more.

When East Asian immigrants moved to Peru in the 19th century, they brought ingredients like soy sauce and ginger, and combined them with Peruvian yellow chilies, beef, and pineapple. The first Chinese Peruvian fusion restaurants opened in Lima around 1920, but today chifa dishes like lomo saltado (stir-fried beef) and chaufa (fried rice) are considered authentically Peruvian dishes.

The Lunar New Year season is about starting the year with luck and prosperity, and whole fish, round golden fruits, and purse-like dumplings are all on the table, representing prosperity, wealth, and fullness. A comforting bowl of hot porridge is not a common dish on the holiday, and meat is often eschewed from breakfast out of respect for Buddhist gods.

Mooncakes are part of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month — which typically falls somewhere between August and October on the western calendar. Traditionally the pastries are made of a cake flour dough, filled with sweet or savory fillings, pressed with a design, and then baked. The small cakes are exchanged among family and friends, and they’re meant to be eaten when the moon is full.

Panda Express was founded in California in 1983, and today it is the largest chain of Chinese American fast food restaurants in the world. Chef Andy Kao was classically trained in French cuisine before he became Panda Express’ executive chef. He developed the recipe for orange chicken by frying lightly battered dark meat, then tossing it in a wok with sweet and sour sauce made with honey, soy sauce, and oil from orange peels.

Contrary to its name, there is no duck in duck sauce. Instead, apricots give duck sauce its sweetness, as well as its orange color (although molasses and artificial coloring might also contribute). The Chinese takeout staple is an American invention, but it may have been inspired by the Cantonese plum sauce (often served on duck) made by combining sweet plums with ginger, garlic, chilies, and vinegar.

Known in Mandarin as “huoguo,” hot pot is a complete dining experience. With the help of a portable stove, broth is kept boiling at the table while diners use chopsticks to dip in thinly sliced meats and veggies to cook. The broth takes on the flavor of whatever the diners add, so no two hot pot meals are the same.

Tea appeared in China as early as 1600 BCE, and new types and combinations are still enjoyed to this day. Oolong tea first appeared in the Wu Yi Mountains in China during the Qing dynasty, and quickly became a national favorite. The word “oolong” comes from two words meaning “black” and “dragon,” and you can often find oolong tea served as part of a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.

Different regions of China claim different national dishes, so it is impossible to say that any one dish rules supreme. However, all of the dishes listed here are considered American inventions — except Peking duck. The recipe for a crisp-skinned roasted duck dates back to at least 1330, when the recipe appeared in an imperial cookbook, and it was eventually named Peking duck after the Chinese capital, now known as Beijing.

Traditionally, there are eight regional categories of Chinese cuisine: Anhui, Cantonese, Hunan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Shandong, and Zhejiang. When you see the word “Sichuan” ( sometimes spelled Szechuan) on the menu, be prepared. Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies are key to creating the spiciness and depth of flavor of this regional cuisine.