Beijing Restaurants, Beijing Signature Food, Peking Duck, Beijing Roast Duck

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	China City Guide - Beijing - Dining

		Attractions	Cuisines from many different international cultures along with what had been accumulated in China’s long history have diversified the dining scene in Beijing. With literally thousands of restaurants available, dining choices in Beijing are practically unlimited. After a busy schedule of business meetings or a long day tour of the city, the travelers can either enjoy the luxuries at an upper class restaurant or dine cost-effectively at the smaller family-run facilities located all over the city. We have put together a list of uniquely featured restaurants in Beijing, based on our broad dining experiences, in an attempt to help the tourists to quickly located the right dining places while traveling in Beijing.
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Beijing Signature Chinese Food - Peking Duck - History

Beijing Roast Duck, commonly being called Peking Duck, a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era, and is now considered as one of China's national foods.

The dish is prized for the thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred specially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is often eaten with pancakes, spring onions, and hoisin sauce or sweet noodle sauce. The two most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude and Bianyifang, two centuries-old establishments which have become household names. A variant of the dish known as crispy aromatic duck has been created by the Chinese community in the United Kingdom.

By the Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty, the popularity of Peking Duck spread to the upper classes, inspiring poetry from poets and scholars who enjoyed the dish. For instance, one of the verses of Duan Zhu Zhi Ci, a collection of Dining in Beijing - Peking Duck or Bejing Roast Duck Beijing poems was, "Fill your plates with roast duck and suckling pig". In 1864, the Quanjude restaurant was established in Beijing. Yang Quanren, the founder of Quanjude, developed the hung oven to roast ducks. With its innovations and efficient management, the restaurant became well known in China, introducing the Peking Duck to the rest of the world.

By the mid-20th century, Peking Duck had become a national symbol of China, favored by tourists and diplomats alike. For example, Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State of the United States, met Premier Zhou Enlai in the Great Hall of the People on July 10, during his first visit to China. After a round of inconclusive talks in the morning, the delegation was served Peking Duck for lunch, which became Kissinger's favorite. The Americans and Chinese issued a joint statement the following day, inviting President Richard Nixon to visit China in 1972. Peking Duck was hence considered one of the factors behind the rapprochement of the United States to China in the 1970s. Following Zhou's death in 1976, Kissinger paid another visit to Beijing to savor Peking Duck. Peking Duck, at the Quanjude in particular, has also been a favorite dish for various political leaders ranging from Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl.


	Popular Peking Duck Restaurants

Beijing Quanjude Peking Duck Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant is oldest and among the best restaurants serving Beijing Roast Duck. It has a history of nearly 150 years. Today there are a number of chain Quanjude restaurants around the city Beijing. The following branches are highly recommended: original Qianmen store, elegant Wangfujing store and the largest Hepingmen store. Quanjude Peking Duck Qianmen Store is located at 32 Qianmen Street in Chongwen District. Open daily 11:00 to 13:30 and 16:30 to 20:30. Cost: 120 to 150 yuan per person. Bus routes: 20, 17, 53, 22, 59, 819, 110 Quanjude Peking Duck Hongkun Store is located at 1 Guangan Street in Fengtai District. Open daily 11:00 to 13:30 and 16:30 to 20:30. Cost: 120 to 150 yuan per person. Bus routes: 6, 38, 332, 321, 57, 704, 309, 390, 712, 122 Quanjude Peking Duck Wangfujing Store is located at 9 Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Wangfujing Street in Dongcheng District. Open daily 11:00 to 13:30 and 16:30 to 20:00. Cost: 120 to 150 yuan per person. Bus routes: 803. Quanjude Peking Duck Hepingmen Store is located at 14 West Qianmen Street in Xuanwu District. Open daily 10:30 to 20:00. Cost: 120 to 150 yuan per person. Bus routes: 44, 48, 66, 14, 15, 707. Quanjude Peking Duck Guomen Store is located at 1st floor in Jingxin Mansion, East 3rd Ring Road North, Chaoyang District. Open daily 10:00 to 22:00. Cost: 120 to 150 yuan per person. Bus routes: 300, 302, 419, 416, 718, 725, 730, 731, 830, 825, 847, 984, 985, 957, 96. Quanjude Peking Duck Olympic Park Store is located at Unit A, No.309, Hui Zhong Bei Li, Chaoyang District. Open daily 09:00 to 23:00. Cost: 120 to 150 yuan per person. Bus routes: 425, 752, 753. Quanjude Peking Duck Xiushui Store is located at Xiushui Mansion, 8 Dongdaqiao Road in Chaoyang District. Quanjude Peking Duck Xicuilu Store is located at No.9, Xicui Road, Haidian District Open daily 11:00 to 20:30. Cost: 90 yuan per person. Other Brand Peking Duck Restaurants

	Peking Duck - Preparation and Serving

Preparation Fattened ducks are slaughtered, feathered, eviscerated and rinsed thoroughly with water. Air is pumped under the skin through the neck cavity to separate the skin from the fat. The duck is then soaked in boiling water for a short while before it is hung up to dry. While it is hung, the duck is glazed with a layer of maltose syrup, and the innards are rinsed once more with water. Having been left to stand for 24 hours, the duck is roasted in an oven until it turns shiny brown. Peking Duck is traditionally roasted in either a closed oven or hung oven. The closed oven is built of brick and fitted with metal griddles. The oven is preheated with burning Gaoliang wood at the base. The duck is then placed in the oven immediately after the fire burns out, allowing the meat to be slowly cooked through the convection of heat within the oven. The hung oven was developed in the imperial kitchens during the Qing Dynasty and adopted by the Quanjude restaurant chain. It is designed to roast up to 20 ducks at the same time with an open fire fuelled by hardwood from peach or pear trees. The ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temperature of 270°C (525 °F) for 30 to 40 minutes. While the ducks are cooking, the chef may use a pole to dangle each duck closer to the fire for 30 second intervals. Besides the traditional methods to prepare Peking duck, recipes have been compiled by chefs around the world to produce the dish at home. Serving The cooked Peking Duck is traditionally carved in front of the diners and served in three stages. First, the skin is served dipped in sugar and garlic sauce. The meat is then served with steamed pancakes, scallions and sweet noodle sauce. Several vegetable dishes are provided to accompany the meat, typically cucumber and carrot sticks. The diners spread sauce, and optionally sugar, over the pancake. The pancake is wrapped around the meat with the vegetables and eaten by hand. The remaining fat, meat and bones may be made into a broth. Otherwise, they are packed up to be taken home by the customers.

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