Beijing roast duck is crisp and tasty,fat but not greasy
2 min readBeijing roast duck,or Peking du-ck,is now a world-famous delicacy. Generations of gastronomes have developed rules of eating Pek- ing duck.
In winter and spring,ducks in Beijing are fat and taste tender.In autumn,the weather is very cleal. Hence,the temperature and humidity are just fine to roast ducks.In summer,it is very hot and humid and ducks in Beijing are thin and of low quality.
Good slicing skills improve the taste.After a duck is roasted,the skin and flesh of the sunken part on the chest should be sliced and served immediately,because at this time,the meat is crispy and tasty.
Two kinds of foods are available while eating Beijing roast duck: lotus leaf shaped pancake and sesame(2)seed cake.Lotus leaf shaped pancake can be sliced into two pieces to wrap the duck and vegetables with seasonings.
According to the history,the earliest roast duck restaurant in Beijing was the old Bianyitang Restaurant,which opened during the Yongle reign.The old Bianyifang Restaurant’s roast duck is duck roasted in the oven.The walls of the oven are first heated with fire. When the fire goes out,the duck is placed inside and the door of the oven is closed.The duck is cooked by the heat given off by the walls. A duck roasted in this way is crisp and golden brown in appearance; its flesh is both tender and tasty.
Another roast duck restaurant is called Quanjude,established in the Qing Dynasty about 150 years ago.Quanjude’s rost duck is duck roasted over the open fire.The fire transmits the heat to the wall of the oven and the heat is reflected onto the duck to roast it.During the whole process,the duck should be moved occasionally to make sure every part of the duck has been roasted with enough heat.Quanjude’s rost duck is full in shape with purplish red color,
