Ginger beef usually refers to a westernized version of a Chinese dish made from beef and ginger.
While Chinese dishes made from beef and ginger are nothing new, the western Canadian version of it is claimed to have been invented in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 in 1974 at the Silver Inn, and it can still be ordered at most of the Chinese restaurants in that region.

The ingredients of ginger beef can depend on where it is featured, but the western Canadian version generally consists of deep fried strips of beef coated in a dark sweet sauce that is reminiscent of other Asian sauces based on vinegar and sugar (e.g., the Japanese teriyaki

Teriyaki

Teriyaki is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade...

). It also contains flavors of ginger, garlic and hot peppers, and is commonly served with a small amount of julienned

Julienning

Julienne is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, not unlike matchsticks. Sometimes called 'shoe string', e.g. 'shoestring fries'...

carrots and onions in the sauce.