Yaka mein

Yaka mein (Ya-Ka-Mein, often pronounced Yakamee) is a type of beef noodle soup (牛肉麵, Cantonese: ngaw4-yuk4 min6) commonly found in many Creole and Chinese restaurants in New Orleans. Yaka mein is sometimes referred to as "Old Sober," as it is commonly prescribed by locals as a cure for hangovers. The dish is now offered at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Music Festival, along with many other Creole and Cajun specialties.[1] The soup is well loved by locals but not well known outside of the city and its surrounding region.[2]

The soup consists of stewed beef (such as brisket) in beef-based broth served on top of spaghetti noodles and garnished with half a hard-boiled egg and chopped green onions.[1] Cajun seasoning, chili powder, or Old Bay Seasoning is often added to the broth.

An alternate version, Yat Gaw Mein, is found in Baltimore and Philadelphia carry out restaurants. Yat Gaw Mein consists of thick wheat noodles (similar to udon) in a ketchup-based sauce or brown gravy, accompanied by thickly sliced onions and a hard-boiled egg[3]. Meat, chicken, and seafood can be added, with some restaurants including the option of pig's feet[4].

Contents

Spellings

The dish is spelled in innumerable ways, all with phonetic similarities. A non-comprehensive list of these spellings includes:

  • Yakamein
  • Yaca mein
  • Ya ka mein
  • Yatka mein
  • Yock a mein
  • Yetka mein
  • Yet ca mein
  • Yet gaw mein
  • Yat gaw mein
  • Jakemein
  • Yaka may
  • Yakameat
  • Yakama
  • Yakamee

Origins

The origins of yaka mein are uncertain, and there are at least two propositions[1]:

  1. Some sources, along with Leah Chase, the renowned New Orleans chef, believe that yaka mein originated in New Orleans’s now extinct Chinatown that was established by Chinese immigrants brought from California during the mid 19th century to build the railroads between Houston to New Orleans[1] and work in the sugar plantations of the American South. It was during this period that the Chinese noodle soup adapted to local Creole and Chinese clientele to its present evolved state.[5]
  2. Others believe it was introduced to the U.S. by African American troops who fought in the Korean War and returned with a taste for some of the noodle soup dishes they had in Korea.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Roahen, Sara (2008 02-17), Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table, W. W. Norton & Company, ISBN 978-0393061673 
  2. ^ McGraw, Dan (2006-02-15), "Turned Up a Notch", Fort Worth Weekly (FW Weekly), http://archive.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=3635 
  3. ^ http://foodeyestomach.blogspot.com/2010/06/baltimore-yat-gaw-mein.html
  4. ^ http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2010/03/pigs_feet_yat_ka_mein_chinese.html
  5. ^ spchef (2009-06-01), Leah Chase on the Chinese in New Orleans and "Yaka Mein", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvVIrA5DE7k 

External links