Peking Duck

Along with the grand view of the Great Wall, travelers to Beijing shouldn't miss trying the Peking Roasted Duck. To enjoy the famous duck, the restaurant Quan Ju De(全聚德) is the best choice for you. It has multiple outlets in Beijing. The old restaurant first opened in 1860. The duck here is said to be the best in Peking, and the service is very good as well.

Peking Duck is always served in well-cut slices. The whole duck must be sliced into 120 pieces and every piece has to be perfect with the complete layers of the meat. Normally there are many dishes served with the duck, including a dish of fine-cut shallot bars, a dish of cucumber bars and finally a dish of paste-like soy of fermented wheat flour. Without these the dainty duck is surely in the shade.

When first served Peking Duck I hesitated to take up my chopsticks, not knowing what to begin with. There is a knack to it: first, pick up a slice of duck with the help of a pair of chopsticks and dip it into the soy paste. Next, lay it on the top of a thin cake and add some bars of cucumber and shallot. Finally, wrap the stuff into a bundle with the sheet cake (a thin pancake). The real secret of Peking duck's flavor lies in your carefully nibbling away at the mixture. You will find all the different ingredients very compatible. Of course, beer is the popular drink for the dinner. It helps to fade away the greasiness of the duck. But it is not necessary to order extra soup, for the duck-bone soup is always included in your order. It will be served as the rear dish for the dinner.

During the 16-days-Olympics, the Beijing delicacy Peking duck as a favorite amongst athletes stay in the Olympic Village. A spokeswoman for the Olympic Village reported at a press conference that the supply of the duck dish was doubled from 300 birds per day to 600 to satisfy the demand of the 10,000 or so athletes living the village.