Jing Cai 京菜/Old Beijing Print E-mail

Beijing has been the capital of China for over 500 years, with the rulers from different regions each leaving a lasting influence on Beijing’s eating habits.  The Mongols brought mutton to the palace, and the Manchus brought pork.  Mutton hotpot is now a staple in Beijing, especially in winter, and grilled meat skewers can be found on every side alley.  And you don’t need to be in Beijing long to know that pork is nearly synonymous with 'meat'Geng Wu crispy meatballs here.  Beijing food includes both the basic snacks eaten by its residents and Imperial or court cuisine of the ruling class. 

As the hub of officialdom and scholarship, Beijing attracted people from all parts of China, who brought with them their different cuisines and tastes, all leaving a mark on the local cuisine. Over time, Beijing has accepted and assimilated many regional dishes and flavors into its own repertoire of Beijing jia chang cai, or homestyle cooking. 

Beijing also has its store of home-grown snacks and eating habits.  Along with other regions of the north, Beijing cooking has a preponderance of wheat-based products, such as dumplings, noodles, buns, and other doughy items.  Locals can be found slurping up all manners of noodles, cold and hot, dry and soupy, savory, sour or spicy.  Other favorites are different types of bao zi 包子 (steamed stuffed buns) and bing zi 饼子 (pancake wrapped around, or hot pocket filled with, some savory stuffing, usually fried on a griddle) which can be eaten on the run.  Finally, you can’t wander any small alley in Beijing without seeing lots of meat on a stick or chuanr 串 (just follow the smoke, meaty aroma and 串spelled out in Christmas lights). These tend to be lamb/mutton with a dash of cumin and chili powder.  The last year has also seen a profusion of grilled chicken wings 翅 on a stick.


Representative dishes
Mixing zha jiang mian

炸酱面 - zha jiang mian: quintessential Beijing noodle dish with a  dark salty sauce and shredded vegetable all tossed together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 


Cu liu bai cai 

醋溜白菜 - cu liu bai cai : savory and sour sautéed cabbage
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dan bing and cong yiu bings
 
蛋饼/ 抓饼/灌饼 - dan bing/zua bing/guan bing:  light flour crepe coated with egg and often topped with salty spicy sauce; sometimes this is wrapped around crispy fried dough or bean sprouts

葱油饼 - cong yiu bing: scallion pancake (sometimes 葱花饼cong hua bing)

 

 
 
 
饼子 - bing zi  (韭菜/白菜/猪肉):  fried stuffed pockets with leeks, pork, or pork and cabbage

Other noodles
cool rice noodles - liang pi

凉皮 - liang pi:  cool and spicy rice noodles - thin sheets of rice noodles are rolled and cut into wide chewy strips and dressed with sesame paste, vinegar, chilis, shredded cucumbers and bean sprouts

 

 

 

 

 
拉面 - la mian: literally, hand pulled noodles, can be served dry or as soup noodles

Meat on a stickroadside chuanr

肉串儿- rou chuanr:  often lamb 羊肉, but you can also find beef and pork)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
grilled chicken wings - ji ci chuanr
 
鸡翅串儿 - ji ci  chuanr: grilled chicken wings
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sweets
ludagun.jpg
 
 
(马卢)打滚 - lu da gun : soft glutinous rice roll with sweet bean paste
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
banana fritters - Zha Jiang Mian Da Wang
 
 
拨丝香蕉 - ba si xiang jiao :  banana fritters in hot toffee

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Where to find it (and other recommended dishes)?

庚午大食堂  Geng Wu Da Shi Tang
焦溜丸子 - jiao liu wan zi:  crispy little meatballs (see photo at top of page)
大焖扁豆 - da men bian dou: braised broad beans

老北京炸酱面大王  Lao Bei Jing Zha Jiang Mian Da Wang
Zha jiang mian - Da Wang

 
炸酱面 - zha jiang mian: the quintessential Beijing noodle dish with a dark salty sauce and shredded vegetable all tossed together is the star of the show here

 
 
 
 


 
braised eggplant - Da Wang
 
五花肉烧茄子 - wu hua rou shao qie zi (braised pork and eggplant)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
拨丝香蕉 - ba si xiang jiao :  banana fritters in hot toffee (see photo above under Sweets)