What is "subgum"

n. A Cantonese dish consisting of mixed meat and vegetables, often in combination with noodles, rice, or soup

Subgum or sub gum (traditional: 什錦; simplified: 什锦; Cantonese: sap gam; pinyin: shí jǐn; literally "numerous and varied") is a type of American Chinese dish in which one or more meats or seafood are mixed with vegetables, and sometimes also noodles, rice, or soup. It originates from Cantonese cuisine and is a commonly encountered dish on the menus of Chinese restaurants in North America.

The earliest known mention of "subgum" is in 1902 in a list of Chinese dishes in the Chicago Daily Tribune. An early indirect mention of sub-gum is in 1906; in 1909, there is a more explicit reference to sub gum deang at a Chicago restaurant and in 1913, to sub gum gai suey at a New York restaurant.