Food and Cuisine in Beijing

In order to judge how international a city is, look at the variety of culinary options on offer. Beijing surely qualifies as "an international city" as the city offers its residents and visitors cuisine from all over China and the world.

As for cooking native to Beijing, the most popular methods are roasting, frying, stewing, braising, and steaming. A prime example of Beijing cuisine is the Beijing Roast Duck. Another favorite Beijing meal is Shuanyangrou or "Hot Pot", which is especially popular in the cold Beijing winter months. 

Around the Chunjie or Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, Beijingers make meat dumplings called Jiaozi that are a special part of northern Chinese cuisine. Beijing's strong Muslim community with both Beijing's local Muslims and others who migrate from Xinjiang and other parts of China lends its own flavors to the mix that is modern Beijing. Perhaps the most unbeatable dining is to experience the cuisine of the Imperial kitchen.

As a great international city, Beijing also offers many choices in western and non-Chinese cuisine and the range of International cuisine here should satisfy even the most westernised of palates. Beyond this, there are plenty of fast food options, handy your shopping expeditions or whenever you just need a cheeseburger. McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Starbuck's Coffee, Subway Subs and Dunkin-Donuts have all established chain stores in the city.

Beijing Typical Food
Those who are fortunate enough to spend time traveling around China will discover that styles of cuisine in the north and south of China are different. In the south, rice is much more popular as the main staple of the Chinese diet, while in the north, wheat products such as noodles, flat breads, dumplings and steamed buns are as popular or more popular than rice as the staple. As China's economy develops and more people move around, this trend may change, but it is a good rule of thumb to understand Chinese cuisine.

For example one can find Jiaozi (small boiled dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables) in many places throughout China, but if you travel to Beijing or Harbin in Heilingjiang province or anywhere in Northern China, you may find many more people eating Jiaozi and eating many more varieties of Jiaozi than elsewhere in south China.

Peking Roast Duck
Peking Duck has the reputation of being the most delicious food Beijing has to offer. Eating Peking Duck is seen to be one of the two things you are absolutely supposed to do while in Beijing. The other one is climbing the Great Wall.

The place that offers the best Peking Duck is the Quan Ju De Restaurant, which has outlets at Qianmen, Hepingmen and Wangfujing. It was established 130 years ago.

At Quan Ju De, ducks are immersed in condinments unique to the restaurant and are roasted directly over flames stoked by fruittree wood. The best roasted duck is date-red, shining with oil, but with a crisp skin and tender meat.

The chef cuts the meat into thin slices at table. Then the meat is served with Chinese onions and special sauce.

Another famous restaurant offering Peking duck is the Bian Yi Fan (Cheap Restaurant), which opened in 1855, nine years earlier than Quan Ju De. At Bian Yi Fang, roasting is done in an enclosed container fueled with crop stalks.

Imperial Court Food
Imperial Court Food is a style of Chinese food that has its origins in the Imperial Palace. It is based on the foods that were served to Emperors and the court. Fang Shan in Beihai Park and Ting Li Guan in the Summer Palace are the best ones. 150 years ago you would never have been able to eat this stuff, so give it a shot. It is a little expensive, however.

Imperial Official Food
The most famous type of official food is Tan Family Food, which can be had in the Beijing Hotel. This is the preferred food of the Qing Dynasty official Tan Zonging, and was later introduced into restaurants.

Another type of food is that which is describe in the classic novel "Dream of Red Mansions". The author, Cao Xueqin, describe a number of dishes in the book and now there are several restaurants which serve this style of dish. The most famous place is the Beijing Grand View Garden Hotel. This hotel is right next of the Beijing's Grand View Garden which is modeled after the garden described in the "Dream of Red Mansions".

Medicinal Food
There are hundreds of dishes that are medicated with such choice tonic materials as ginseng, deer musk, bear's paw, Chinese wolf berry and soft-shelled turtle, the cream of the crop of Chinese medicine. The "Yang Sheng Zhai" Restaurant of Xiyuan Hotel has the best reputation among such food. Although it has been changed to Sichuan Restaurant, it still offers medicinal foods.

Hot Pot
Beijing winters can get very cold so "hot pot" is a natural favorite with local people. In recent years, Cantonese and Sichuan flavor hot pots have have grown in popularity, overtaking the more typical Beijing tradition of boiling thin slices of mutton in a seasoned broth (otherwise known as Mongolian hot pot). The basic ingredients of a hot pot meal include thinly sliced beef and mutton with fresh vegetables.

In some styles, various types of sea food are added. Cantonese style hot pot has a relatively mild flavor in the broth used to boil the ingredients and in the condiments in which the meat and vegetables are dipped after having been cooked thoroughly. On the other hand, the Sichuan style hot pot is known for its wickedly hot, spicy flavor that may leave you with a slightly numb feeling on your tongue.

Another hot pot trend is that many places now offer "self-service" hot pot where you can select your own hot pot ingredients, broth seasonings and condiments in an "all you can eat" setting. Try Donglaishun Restaurant for traditional Beijing "Mongolian hot pot"

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