Pu Pu Platter - in American Chinese Cuisine

In American Chinese Cuisine

The term "pupu platter" appears to be a mid-20th century introduction to the American Chinese culinary lexicon, though the concept of serving pūpū appears to have spread to North America from Hawai`i via such entrepreneurs as Don the Beachcomber, Jacob Adams, and Trader Vic during the craze for "Polynesian-style" food of the 1940s and 1950s. The "pupu platter" of that time was actually based largely on Cantonese cuisine as interpreted by American bar owners who catered to the American taste for exotic Polynesian/Asian dishes. During this period, most Chinese restaurants in the United States were Cantonese-operated. Such restaurants catered to the more conservative American public while still providing a taste of the exotic, and may have provided a "pupu platter," though not necessarily by that name. It is also commonly known as a BoBo Platter.