Gurmet
Peking duck: two ovens, crisp skin and a meal as a shared ritual
Peking duck is often reduced to crisp skin, pancakes and a famous restaurant. The dish is actually a chain of breeding, preparation, drying…
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Gurmet
Gurmet
Beijing on a plate is not one cuisine: how the capital brings China’s regions together
Beijing has local dishes, but eating in the capital also means encountering food from across China. Migration, government, universities and…
Gurmet
Baijiu without the grimace: why Chinese spirits do not taste like vodka and how to approach them
Baijiu is a family of Chinese distilled spirits, not a clear equivalent of vodka. Sorghum and other grains are fermented in solid or semi-solid…
Gurmet
What keeps Beijing at the table: markets, cold chains and the invisible logistics of food
A megacity does not eat through recipes alone. Beijing’s vegetables, meat, fish, grain and prepared food move through farms, wholesale hubs…
Gurmet
Chinese tea is not one drink: six categories, water and a social ritual
Green, yellow, white, oolong, black and dark tea can all come from the same tea species. Cultivar, place, harvest and above all processing—wilting…
Gurmet
Morning in Beijing: fermented douzhi, crisp jiaoquan and breakfast beyond the hotel
Beijing breakfast is best encountered outside a hotel buffet. Small shops serve hot soy milk, buns, fried dough, porridges, pancakes and the local…
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Old Beijing flavour in a jar: sauces, pickles and the power of a heritage brand
Beijing cooking depends not only on fresh meat and dough but on fermented bean pastes, sweet flour sauce, vinegar and pickled vegetables. They…
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Plant-based food in Beijing: Buddhist tradition, tofu and a new market
Plant-based eating is not an imported novelty in China, although Beijing’s current vegan restaurants operate in a new market. Buddhist temple…
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Wild mushrooms in Chinese cuisine: an exceptional season that demands knowledge
Summer rain brings hundreds of mushroom species to Yunnan and a season that influences markets and restaurants across China. Refrigerated logistics…
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How to order in a Beijing restaurant: phone menus, shared tables and the bill
The biggest barrier in a Beijing restaurant may be the interface rather than the food. A guest scans a QR code, opens a mini-program, selects…
Gurmet
Peking Duck Is Roasted in Two Traditional Types of Oven
Peking duck is not a single fixed dish with one unchanging preparation. Two important roasting traditions have survived in the city. Bianyifang…
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Ten Beijing Dishes Worth Trying
Peking duck is the city's best known dish, but Beijing cuisine offers a much wider range. A useful first tasting combines a ceremonial dish with…