李婧萍

Beijing’s ancient alleyways， known as hutongs， have long been a hotbed of culinary gossip. Neighbors greet each other with “Ni chi le ma？” （have you eaten？）， a reminder of the central role of food in daily conversation—and of the tough times when a good meal was hard to come by.

[2] Being the capital of China， the city of Beijing is world famous for its specialty cuisine. Beijing food or Northern food is a collection of varieties from Hebei， Shangdong， Lower Yangzi River， Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Methods of cooking include barbecuing， deep-boiling， roasting， smoking and braising1. Local products such as garlic， ginger， leeks， spring onions， bean sauce， different spices， chilies and vegetables， particularly the Northern white cabbage， together with duck， pork， chicken， seafood， beef， and lamb are used to make many varieties of gourmet dishes.

[3] Rice is big in the south， where it grows easily in temperate climes2， but China’s capital presides from the often-frigid3 north， where wheat is grown and filling tummy warmers such as dumplings and hand-pulled noodles are key staples to keeping happy in sub-zero temperatures. Don’t leave the Chinese capital without trying these iconic Beijing dishes.

[4] Beijing’s most famous dish， Peking roast duck is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside， and served sliced. You’ll be given light pancakes， into which you pile a slice of duck and accompanying sides like fermented4 bean paste， cucumbers and spring onions. Peking duck was first mentioned in royal cookbooks during the Yuan Dynasty （13th century）， but didn’t come to the fore until the early 1900s， when former imperial cooks began opening roast duck restaurants outside the palace walls. To prepare the duck， chefs first inflate the bird by blowing air between the skin and body. They then prick the skin and pour boiling water over the duck. Some chefs add malt sugar5 to the skin so that it glows golden brown once roasted.

[5] Firm， drained， hand-pulled wheat noodles are topped with minced-pork in a smoky yellow-soybean paste reduction in this classic Beijing noodle dish. To balance out the addictive saltiness of the chunky6 sauce， fresh vegetables are laid to the side—julienned7 cucumber， crunchy8 radish and， in modern Beijing， juicy bean sprouts or edamame9 （fresh soybeans）. You lovingly turn the toppings through the noodles to reach the flavour-to-noodle ratio of your liking and quietly slurp10 away. Vegetarian versions swap the pork for tofu. Zhajiang noodles is a much loved and copied dish—Koreans know it is as the ubiquitous jajangmyeon.

[6] Dine like the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty （1644―1911） and his court did on dishes with fantastic names （‘Buddha jumps over the wall’）， fables， intricate displays （vegetables carved into dra-gons， fish and roses）， claims of medicinal qualities （skin-beautifying deer tendon） and fresh， indulgent， peculiarly Chinese ingredients （scallops， abalone， bamboo shoots， ginseng）. Each restaurant will have different recipes depending on the family they originated from11. These dishes may sound familiar but are meticulously prepared， such as juicy honey prawns slow-roasted in a stone stove until their shells are crunchy but melt in the mouth. Imperial cuisine can be a pricey banquet， but worth splashing out on12 for the lavish historical atmosphere and the fresh ingredients served up on fine china， jade or other precious dinnerware. The dishes are made to be light13 and shared so that you are able to try multiple dishes， much like a degustation14.

[7] This bubbling copper pot of soup is cooked at your table by you and your friends， adding fresh meat and veg. It’s a warming Beijing favourite and has been for over a 1000 years， much loved by the Qing royal family. Choose what raw vegetables and lamb （or other meat， fish balls or mushrooms） you would like on your platter to cook for yourself in the pot. Traditionalists choose cabbage and tofu as a minimum， while adding garlic and onion to give some punch15 to the meat broth. Then drop in ingredient-by-ingredient what you would like to cook and eat. The cuts of lamb come finely sliced in rolls and only need a few seconds dipped into the broth to cook. Each person scoops out their goodies with a slotted spoon16 （or just chopsticks） and eats it with a dipping sauce17， which can include sesame oil and fermented soybean. At the end， add the noodles to the soup to draw up the flavours.

[8] Love or hate it. One of Beijing’s most famous and unique flavours is a grey-green drink that locals have proudly adored since the Liao Dynasty （907—1125）. Sometimes translated as ‘soymilk’， Beijing’s douzhi is actually made from mung beans， has a mild sourness to it and isn’t sweet like soymilk. You’ll find douzhi throughout the city， from street stalls to restaurants， and it warrants a taste to find out if you are a douzhi lover or hater. To help mung-bean milk go down， try it with the usual accompaniment of strips of spicy pickles. Beijingers swear by the health benefits of protein-and fiber-rich douzhi and claim that it cools you down on a stifling Beijing summer’s day and warms you up in winter.

[9] If you like liver， then this sauteed18 pork-liver in a thick soup will have you licking your lips， literally. The traditional way to eat chao ganr is by sipping its salty mushroom broth directly from the bowl. You may need the spoon for the chewy lungs and intestines. This Beijing speciality isn’t subtle—it’s sprinkled with raw garlic and is served for breakfast. Yes， breakfast.

[10] Chinese yam in hot toffee， with sticky， fragrant and sweet taste， is a dessert served during the Spring Festival. Chinese yam contains high level of nutrition that can help with anti-aging. It is a traditional dish of Beijing， with at least 100 years of history. Nowadays marinated osmanthus is added and white sesame seeds are peppered19 evenly on the dish. It is better to consume it while the dish is very hot， but do dip it in cold water before putting it into your mouth， otherwise your tongue may easily get burned.

Chinese cabbage with mustard sauce

[11] This delicious spicy dish has a crispy texture with a sweet and sour flavor. It is a low-fat meal which according to ancient Chinese wisdom is beneficial to your respiratory system as well. It is a dish best enjoyed in the winter or spring.

[12] The city now boasts numerous courtyard eateries offering an array of local delicacies， including one in Xiaoyou Hutong， beside Houhai Lake.

[13] Jiumen Xiaochi， or Nine Gates Snacks， is a Qing Dynasty take20 on a food court and houses about half of Beijing’s most famous specialties under one roof. Throughout the last century， these treats were cooked up in separate establishments in the city’s ancient heart of Qianmen .

[14] “It’s difficult to pick a favorite as there is so much to choose from， but I do like the boiled sheep’s head （yangtou） here，” says Wang， before moving on to inspect the quick-fried tripe （baodu）.

Next door， a pot of bubbling brown liquid containing a hodgepodge of pig’s intestines， pork liver， soy sauce and aniseed marks the stir-fried pork liver stand. “It is important for Beijing to preserve its traditional dishes， as they are part of the city’s identity，” Wang says.

[15] Some of the snacks now gobbled up by the masses used to be for royal lips only， such as pea-flour cake （wandouhuang）， a particular favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi.

北京古老的窄巷子，即人們熟知的“胡同”，长期以来一直是孕育美食八卦的温床。街坊邻里常用一句“你吃了吗？”互相打招呼，暗示餐食在日常交谈中的中心地位，也让人想起那些难得吃一顿好饭的艰苦时光。

[2]作为中国的首都，北京城以其特色菜肴闻名于世。北京菜或北方菜汇聚了河北、山东、长江下游、内蒙古和新疆等地的菜肴，品类繁盛。烹饪方法包括烤、煮、烘、熏、炖等。本地佐料和食材诸如蒜、姜、韭菜、葱、豆豉、各式调味料、辣椒和蔬菜（特別是北方白菜），还有鸭肉、猪肉、鸡肉、海鲜、牛肉以及羊肉都常用来烹制各种美食。

[3]稻米盛产于南方，那里适宜其生长，但是中国的首都位于寒冷的北方，那里种植小麦，可用于制作暖胃美食，如饺子、手工拉面等重要主食，它们都是零摄氏度以下的熨帖享受。来首都一定要尝尝这些标志性的北京菜。

[4]北京最著名的一道菜是北京烤鸭，烤鸭外酥里嫩、丰厚多汁，通常会切片呈上。一起上桌的还有薄薄的荷叶饼，将一片鸭肉蘸取些许甜面酱，加上黄瓜条和葱丝裹成卷儿。北京烤鸭于元代（13世纪）首次被御膳食谱提及，直到1900年代前任御厨们在皇宫之外开设烤鸭店以后才崭露头角。制作烤鸭前，厨师首先会给鸭子皮下充气，然后刺破鸭皮，给鸭身淋浇沸水。有的厨师会给鸭皮涂上麦芽糖，这样一来，烤好的鸭子会呈金黄色。

[5]劲道、干爽、手工拉制的小麦面条，浇上色重浓稠的猪肉末黄酱，就是老北京炸酱面了。……