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.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.