Dinning

Dining in China has long been looked upon as a combined pleasure and cultural experience. In Beijing there are thousands of eating places, serving more than half a dozen different Chinese cuisine. And thanks to the proliferation of modern hotels and international restaurant chains, the city now boasts kitchens that prepare food from all parts of the world. One can taste genuine French, Russian and American cuisine, as well as Japanese, Korean and Thai food cooked by native chefs. The best known places have bilingual Chinese-English menus, and there are usually one of two English-speaking waiters.

Beijing cuisine makes liberal use of stronger flavored roots and vegetables such as peppers, garlic, ginger, leek and coriander (Chinese parsley). Because of its more northerly location, the Beijing food tends to be more substantial, to keep the body warm. Instead of rice, which is the staple diet in Cantonese cuisine, more noodles, dumplings (jiaozi), and bread (baked, steamed or fried) are served in Peking-style restaurants. Demonstrations of the highly skilled art of turning a lump of dough into even-sized noodles can be observed in some noodle restaurants.

The most famous dish associated with Beijing is Peking Roast Duck, of which the crisp skin is the most prized part. To achieve such crispness, the duck is air-dried, then coated with a mixture of syrup and soy sauce before roasting. When ready, it is presented ceremoniously and the skin deftly carved. These pieces are wrapped in thin pancakes with onions or leeks, cucumber, turnip and plum sauce. Some restaurants also serve up just about every part of the duck, from the webbed feet to the beak and liver. On request, the remainder of the duck meat can be sautd with bean sprouts, and the bones made into a wonderful soup with cabbage.

 

Top