Eating in Beijing

　The cuisine of the city of Beijing is rooted in the broader tradition of north Chinese food. As the capital of China for most of the last eight hundred years, Beijing has been the beneficiary of two additional forces. First was the development of an imperial court cuisine perhaps unrivaled in the world. Second, as political center of China , Beijing has been a magnet for people from all over the world. Inevitably, they bring their food-ways with them. The Mongols who established their court there in the Yuan dynasty brought barbaric delicacies such as wolves and swans.

　Due to the reason of the weather of Beijing , such as oppressively hot in summer, bitterly cold and windy in winter, Beijing 's basic food-ways can stand as exemplar for the north Chinese style of cooking. North China produced very little rice until recently. More usual fare—the fare of the vast majority, including, perhaps, those emperors—was based on wheat products. Noodles in soup, large steamed breads, and filled dumplings were staples. The large breads, usually chemically leavened, were called mantou , which means "barbarian heads." Forms of this word are used from Korea to Greece ; the word may actually be from an Altaic language, or it may be Chinese from the start. It used to refer to filled dumplings, and still does everywhere except in China , but at some obscure time the Chinese term came to refer to solid wheat loaves. Today, large filled dumplings are b aozi . Smaller filled dumplings are jiaozi , a term limited to China , but denoting dumplings virtually identical to the mantu or manti of Korean, Turkic, and Greek kitchens.

　As in most of inland China , the pig was the main meat source, but beef and even lamb (or mutton) were frequent—the latter especially in Hui (Chinese Muslim) neighborhoods, which are extensive and are famous for their food. Chicken and duck were common, but the ordinary citizen saw them only at very special events.

　The court, of course, had far different fare. Exotic delicacies were the rule. Perhaps only the Mongols actually ate wolves. According to a more authentically Chinese tradition, the "eight delicacies" were served—the list is variable, but includes such things as camels' humps, apes' lips, and bears' paws, as well as various mythological animal parts. At least the bears' paws were in fact eaten; they are cooked long, into a gelatinous state. All dishes from the remote reaches of the empire, such as central Asia and Tibet , often graced the table, especially when dignitaries from those areas were being entertained, such as birds' nests (edible nests of swifts of the genus Collocalia ) and sea cucumbers. Thus the court showed its cosmopolitan, world-ruling power as well as its hospitality. Many imperial recipes are preserved, and restaurants occasionally arise that re-create them.

　However, nowadays, no emperor here, you could find these imperial recipes in many famous old Beijing restaurants, or even in some small restaurants on the street. More ambitious restaurants have far more varied offerings. Traditionally, restaurants specialize in one type of cuisine. Some offer the dishes of a particular province or ethnic group. Others may focus on only one dish. Several classic Beijing dishes are so elaborate, and so popular, that restaurants focus solely on them. The most famous such dish was, and is, Beijing duck. Another famous Muslim dish that has its specialty restaurants is lamb hot-pot. Many and many other delicious foods are still available in Beijing , Chinese and Western, even from all over the world. Maybe you could call Beijing the food cosmopolitan.

　With your short visit to Beijing , you should never miss Beijing dish, otherwise, you will lose the whole picture of Beijing city. Maybe you have tried the Chinese food at your home, but that is not the real Chinese recipe, because the chef in your home town already made some change due to your appetite or lack of Chinese resources. Have a taste of real Chinese food, please join us. We will choose some typical and famous Chinese dishes tour for you. Your option, and make your decision.

QUANJUDE Beijing Duck Dinner

　QUANJUDE, a famous brand of China , was established in 1864, at the end of Qing Dynasty. With development of 136 years, QUANJUDE roast duck enjoys a high reputation among domestic and overseas consumers for the peculiar roast technique and outstanding quality. The duck is hung in the oven and roasted by flame burning from fruit-wood. It takes about 45 minutes for the duck to be done. The finished duck is characteristic with crisp skin, tender meat and the fragrance from the fruit-wood. It looks wonderful and appealing with a full figure, even claret color and brightness and shine on the duck skin. It tastes pure and mellow with lotus leaf-shaped cake, scallion slices and sweet sauce jam, leaving a lasting and pleasant aftertaste. In January of 1999, QUANJUDE was awarded the title of China Renowned Trademark, which is the first and unique case as of now in service trade. This honor also contributes to QUANJUDE image of high quality, excellent taste, rich and profound culture. In Beijing , there is a well-known saying, Great Wall and QUANJUDE Beijing Roasted Duck, could not miss one of them. If you like that, we could make the reservation for you in advance, and arrange you to the most famous one.

Mongolian Hot Pot in Beijing

　Beijing used to be located along the boundary of northern China , between Mongolia area and Han's territory, so its winter is very cold and windy, for leaving cold away from their bodies many Beijing 's people like to eat Mongolian Hot Pot at the restaurant or even in home during that season. Outside is the cold wind or snowing from Mongolian, harsh and frozen, but inside we sit together around the table with a big Mongolian Hot Pot, warming and sweating, what a good enjoy in your life. And date back to hundreds year ago, Mongolian Hot Pot was really come from Mongolian people, please read this story here: Mongolian soldiers used to eat beef and mutton as their daily food. One day they were preparing their daily meal and had gotten the mutton and seasonings ready to cook. Enemy troops came by surprise creating a critical situation and allowing them no time to cook the meal in their normal way. The Mongolians simply boiled the mutton before they left for the battlefield so they would not starve to death, if they were not killed fighting the battle. This solution was meant simply to fill the soldiers' stomachs, but they unexpectedly found it to be a wonderful dish acclaimed by Kublai and his high ranking men. After continued improvement, instant boiled mutton became a popular dish among the common people. You could try it and warm your heart.

Imperial Cuisine in Beijing

　Beijing Imperial Cuisine, or Fangshan in Chinese pronunciation, as the name suggests, consists of dishes once prepared exclusively for the imperial family. Today, Court Cuisine is based on the dishes prepared by the Qing imperial kitchens but further developed ever since. Located in the palace, a very famous restaurant which called Fangshan Restaurant offers the ordinary folks like us a taste of what a typical meal is like in the royal palace, and therefore, it's not surprising to hear that this is one of the more exclusive restaurants in Beijing . Court Cuisine originates from the imperial kitchen, which cooked food for the emperor and his family. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, some chefs from the imperial kitchen opened restaurants in the capital to introduce the special food once only eaten by the imperial family. The restaurant itself is situated on the edge of a lake in a large, sprawling traditional building and is terribly romantic. When we came in, they had a group of ladies dressed as Qing dynasty courtesans dancing in the main courtyard. It certainly was a very interesting dinner that included turtle, deer, and other rare imperial treats. The dishes seemed to be meticulously prepared with rare and expensive foodstuffs, such as bird nests and shark fins, and the restaurant is also known for its pastries, including pea-flour cakes, kidney bean-flour rolls, miniature corn buns, and sesame-seed buns with chopped meat filling. You could really splurge and book an Emperor's Banquet, which you get to dress up as an Emperor for--you need to reserve and order well in advance for this. Come to Beijing , to be the Emperor or the Empress, why not to try their dishes? Come and we order it for you in advance or you like to have it including your trip.

Roast Mutton and Beef in Beijing

　Roast meat has a history of several hundred years in Beijing or nowadays we could call it barbecued meat of Beijing . In the book History of the Qing Dynasty, it was a custom for Qing officials in Beijing to go on picnics in the hills around the capital during some outing activities. They would bring with them boiled beef or mutton, various seasonings and garnishes, and iron pan for re-cocking the meat, sometimes they also build a fire for that. The seared meat was then dipped into soy sauce and mashed garlic before being eaten. At that time, the roast meat was known as "tent food" or "field food" for centuries among the nomads of northern China , but it gradually was introduced into restaurant when utensils and cooking methods were improved, it developed its own unique flavor. Western barbecue and Chinese barbecue, maybe you could have a taste on them all, try and try.

Uighur Food in Beijing

　Uighur region is located at the northwest of China , but nowadays we call it Xinjiang Province . Thousands year ago, it was one part of the silk road to link the Roman Empire in the West with the imperial court of China in the East. The food in that region we call it Uighur food, it has much more of a central Asian flavor than elsewhere in China, and many of its dishes use Turkish and Islamic spices and flavorings. As Beijing is a food metropolitan, you could find it here and try it. We strongly recommend you to try Uighur food in Afunti Restaurant. This restaurant has established a reputation for excellent Uighur food. It is a bit of an institution in Beijing , so tourists now outnumber locals. The reputation for the post-meal dancing on the trestle tables, the Uighur music, and the... err... cabaret performance have pulled in the punters. Sadly, the excellent food is rushed in order to get the tables cleared away so the dancing can begin. For this reason, you need to arrive early - no later than 6:30pm - to allow time to eat. Most evenings end with everyone dancing on the heavy wooden tables to this mad musical accompaniment. The experience is unforgettable, but is very popular with large corporate groups, so be sure to book several days in advance. You might need our help, we will fully welcome it.

　After you read all of them, if you like to have one of them, please make contact with us and we will have a good arrangement for you. Our contact is (0086)10 84405388 by telephone, (0086)10 84405450 by fax, or travelservice@kirintravel.com by email.