Perhaps one of the highlights of visiting Beijing is the opportunity to experience the world-renowned Peking Duck. This dish is a roasted duck, finely sliced and served with thin wheat or corn pancakes, spring onion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce. The duck is sliced so the ratio of each slice is approximately half skin, half meat. Well prepared duck is characterized by skin with an outer crisp but moist interior, soft and tender meat, and subtle hint of spices (as to not drown out the distinctive flavor of the duck).Peking Duck is often consumed in celebratory settings. One duck can go for as much as 200 RMB, which can feed 2 or 3 adults.
The restaurant we went to claims that every duck is raised for exactly the same number of days before being slaughtered. The duck is then marinated with spices and herbs for several hours, before being roasted in a large fire oven. This dish has been prepared this way since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, dating back to the 13th century.