People also call this the Capital City cuisine. During our restaurant visits in Beijing, we noticed that there were many dishes featuring mutton and pork. In the past, the Mongolian rulers of the Yuan Dynasty were especially fond of mutton, and these mutton dishes still are made today, such as stewed mutton, instant-boiled mutton, quick-fried mutton tripe, and fried dumplings with minced mutton.
The Qing Dynasty rulers ate pork before moving to Beijing. Roast and stewed pig, other pork dishes, and pig's offal stewed in ceramic pots (hot pot cooking) were gradually accepted by the residents of Beijing. The menu for our own hot-pot restaurant experience included thin strips of mutton and pork, which we cooked in the boiling broth (we missed out on the pig's offal and mutton tripe part though!).
During our visit we also noticed quite a few meat dishes with fried onions, leeks, and shallots. This was introduced by the many famous cooks following the Imperial courts to Beijing, including those from nearby Shandong. The quick-frying techniques of the Shandong cuisine and its use of onions greatly influenced Beijing cuisine. For example, quick-fried mutton with onions is a typical Beijing dish that uses the cooking skills and flavoring methods of the Shandong cuisine.
The chefs in Beijing all boasted of being able to create the dishes of the southern cuisines. For example, Huai'an-Yangzhou cuisine (all the kids that were adopted by our group came from the Huai'an City area) has a sweet and less salty taste, while northern cuisine has salty, rich flavors. Peking duck, which has become a favorite of people outside Beijing and even with foreigners, is roasted in Huai'an and Yangzhou style to emphasize the color and taste, then seasoned with fermented flour sauce, and eaten with onions and pancakes baked Shandong style. This typical dish reflects the diverse origins of Beijing cuisine. In spite of the current scare about the "Bird Flu", we greatly enjoyed our Peking Duck meal. (Read more about Peking Duck Here).
On our last morning in Beijing, Andy and I went for breakfast to a local fast food restaurant. To our surprise, there were no rice dishes available. Noodles, dumplings and bread are favored over rice in Beijing. Because of its northern location, the food of Beijing tends to be more substantial in order to keep the human body warm.
