A FOOD TRADITION
Beijing cuisine
Beijing cuisine developed in the imperial capital and through interaction among northern Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Muslim, and other communities. It favors wheat-based staples alongside lamb, beef, pork, poultry, cabbage, leeks, fermented soybean products, and seasonal vegetables. Roasting, quick frying, braising, boiling, and the preparation of hand-pulled or rolled wheat foods are important techniques. Peking duck, zhajiang noodles, and jiaozi are representative foods, although each also has wider regional and historical connections. Beijing cooking often balances savory sauces with the practical grain and preserved-vegetable traditions of northern China, rather than fitting neatly within the southern rice-cuisine framework.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
1–5 of 5
Beijing douzhi
A distinctive sour, fermented Beijing drink made from the liquid left during mung-bean starch or noodle production.
Beijing mutton hot pot
Thin slices of mutton swished in a simple copper-pot broth and eaten with sesame paste and vegetables.
Beijing zhajiangmian
Wheat noodles topped with fried fermented-bean sauce and an assortment of fresh vegetable garnishes.
Luzhu huoshao
An old Beijing bowl of wheat bread, tofu and pork offal served in a deeply flavoured braising broth with garlic sauce.
Peking duck
Beijing's renowned roast duck, prized for crisp skin and tender meat and served in thin wrappers with sauce and vegetables.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.