Peking Duck in Beijing

 We’ve been eating peking duck almost all our lives but never in China. According to our Taiwanese friend who’s married to a Beijing local, you haven’t truly eaten peking duck until you’ve had it in Beijing. According to him, it’s worlds apart different and that much better.

If you’ve never had it, peking duck is an imperial-era Chinese duck dish known for its delicate but thin and supremely crisp skin. Ducks bred specifically for this dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven.

When ready, the duck is carved into slivers in front of the diners, ideally with mostly skin and just a little bit of meat. To eat, the duck is wrapped in palm-sized pancakes with spring onion, cucumber, and a sweet bean sauce. It’s crispy and fatty and supremely delicious.

Peking duck is one of our favorite Chinese dishes. What we’ve had is already delicious so I can only imagine what it must be like in Beijing. When we do finally eat our way through China, peking duck in Beijing will be at the very top of our must-eat list.