Peking Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era, and is now considered as one of Chinese national foods.
The dish is prized for the thin, crisp 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 eaten with pancakes, scallion, hoisin sauce and sweat bean sauce. Two of the most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude and Bianyifang, two centuries-old establishments which have become household names.
Fattened ducks are slaughtered, plucked, eviscerated and rinsed thoroughly with water. Air is pumped under the skin through the neck cavity to separate 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 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 by burning Gaoliang wood at the base. The duck is 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℃(525℉) for 30~40 minutes. While the ducks are cooking, the chef may use a pole to dangle each duck closer to the fire for 30 second intervals. Almost every part of a duck can be cooked the bones of ducks with vegetables.
Besides the traditional methods to prepare Peking Duck, recipes have been compiled by chefs around the world to produce the dish at home.
北京烤鴨所用的原料是肥大的填鴨，技術工人每天定時用小麥面和其他營養物調好的飼料，一團團地塞進鴨子食道中，鴨子幾乎不會自己進食了，即為“填鴨”，由此也衍生出“填鴨式教學”這種說法�？绝喛局瓶煞譃閮煞N——掛爐烤鴨和燜爐烤鴨，都是用黑木炭火烤制，制出的鴨子外觀飽滿，顏色呈棗皮紅色，外焦里嫩，肉質細嫩，味道醇厚，肥而不膩，并帶有一股果木的清香。細品起來，滋味更加美妙。
北京烤鴨的歷史
Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. A variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China in the Yuan Dynasty. The dish, originally named “Shaoyazi” was mentioned in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages manual in 1330 by Hu Sihui who was an inspector of the imperial kitchen. The Peking Roast Duck that came to associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming Dynasty, and by then, Peking Duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. The first restaurant specializing in Pexking Duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, Qianmen area of Beijing in 1416.
By the Qianlong Period（1736-1796）of the Qing Dynasty, the popularity of Peking Duck spread to the upper classes, inspiring poety from poets and scholars who enjoyed the dish. For instance, one of the verses of Duan Zhu Zhi Ci, a collection of Beijing poems was, “Fill your plates with roast duck and sucking 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 become well known in China, which introduced the Peking Duck to the rest of the world.
By the mid-20th century, Peking Duck had become a national symbol in 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 favorites.
北京烤鴨材料，源于千年前的遼金元歷代帝王游獵所獲的純白野鴨種。到明太祖時，朱元璋有“日食烤鴨一只”的喜好。新中國成立后，北京烤鴨的聲譽與日俱增，更加聞名世界。據說周總理生前十分欣賞和關注這一名菜，郭燕和招待外賓必定會有北京烤鴨，從而確立了其北京形象大使的地位。
Something about Peking Duck 關于北京烤鴨
Most People would agree that Peking (or Beijing ) duck is the capital`s most famous dish. Once imperial cuisine, now the legendary duck is served at restaurants around the world.
眾所周知北京烤鴨是京城最負盛名的菜肴。作為曾經的宮廷美食，這富有傳奇的烤鴨如今已出現在世界各國的餐館中。
The culinary history of Peking duck goes back as far as the Yuan dynasty, where it was listed in royal cookbooks as an imperial food.
北京烤鴨的烹飪史可以追溯到元朝，當時它作為皇家食物被列在宮廷食譜上。
Roast Beijing Duck is the most famous special dish of Beijing.
北京烤鴨是北京最著名的特色菜。
To prepare the duck, chefs go through a lengthy process.
為了制作烤鴨，廚師需要經歷漫長的準備過程。
Usually, Peking Duck is eaten with pancakes, spring onions and sweet bean sauce.
通常情況下，北京烤鴨會與薄餅、蔥和甜面醬一起食用。
Beijing roast duck is a famous dish, which enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad.
烤鴨是北京獨特的名菜，譽滿中外。
