| Peking Duck 北京烤鸭 |
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 At the top of the list of required dining experiences in Beijing is the Peking roast duck feast, a specialty of the capital that has been served for over 150 years. Making a good roast duck is a lengthy process. To help dry the skin to ensure better crisping and render the fat as it is hung and roasted in a wood-burning oven, the duck is first inflated, like a balloon. Then it is basted, roasted and smoked, and finally carved and eaten wrapped in thin and delicate steamed pancakes with dark Hoisin sauce and shredded scallions. Beijingers often enjoy just eating the crispy skin pieces dipped in sugar and sometimes add julienned radishes, cucumbers and garlic paste to the array of condiments.
For the Chinese, roast duck is usually a whole-duck experience, and accompanying the duck will be dishes featuring the hearts, gizzards, heads, webbing and tongues. Even the bones are made into soup to close the meal, or can be taken away for use at home.
Innards of duck, prepared many ways:
鸭心 - ya xin (hearts)
鸭胗 - ya zhen (gizzards)
鸭爪 - ya zhua (feet)
百合 - bai he: white lily buds, usually with duck hearts or with Chinese celery
龙豆/四角豆 - long dou; si jiao dou: dragon beans or four cornered beans
苦瓜 - ku gua: bitter melon sautéed with pork
烧茄子 - shao qie zi: braised eggplant 熬汤 - ao tang: literally, to make soup (from the bones) Where to find it?
香满楼 Xiang Man Lou
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How your duck measures up:
