Beijing Local Cuisine 北京美食

李婧萍

Beijing’s ancient alleyways， known as hutongs， have long been a hotbed of culinary gossip. Neighbors greet each other with “Ni chi le ma？” （have you eaten？）， a reminder of the central role of food in daily conversation—and of the tough times when a good meal was hard to come by.

[2] Being the capital of China， the city of Beijing is world famous for its specialty cuisine. Beijing food or Northern food is a collection of varieties from Hebei， Shangdong， Lower Yangzi River， Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Methods of cooking include barbecuing， deep-boiling， roasting， smoking and braising1. Local products such as garlic， ginger， leeks， spring onions， bean sauce， different spices， chilies and vegetables， particularly the Northern white cabbage， together with duck， pork， chicken， seafood， beef， and lamb are used to make many varieties of gourmet dishes.

[3] Rice is big in the south， where it grows easily in temperate climes2， but China’s capital presides from the often-frigid3 north， where wheat is grown and filling tummy warmers such as dumplings and hand-pulled noodles are key staples to keeping happy in sub-zero temperatures. Don’t leave the Chinese capital without trying these iconic Beijing dishes.

[4] Beijing’s most famous dish， Peking roast duck is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside， and served sliced. You’ll be given light pancakes， into which you pile a slice of duck and accompanying sides like fermented4 bean paste， cucumbers and spring onions. Peking duck was first mentioned in royal cookbooks during the Yuan Dynasty （13th century）， but didn’t come to the fore until the early 1900s， when former imperial cooks began opening roast duck restaurants outside the palace walls. To prepare the duck， chefs first inflate the bird by blowing air between the skin and body. They then prick the skin and pour boiling water over the duck. Some chefs add malt sugar5 to the skin so that it glows golden brown once roasted.

[5] Firm， drained， hand-pulled wheat noodles are topped with minced-pork in a smoky yellow-soybean paste reduction in this classic Beijing noodle dish. To balance out the addictive saltiness of the chunky6 sauce， fresh vegetables are laid to the side—julienned7 cucumber， crunchy8 radish and， in modern Beijing， juicy bean sprouts or edamame9 （fresh soybeans）. You lovingly turn the toppings through the noodles to reach the flavour-to-noodle ratio of your liking and quietly slurp10 away. Vegetarian versions swap the pork for tofu. Zhajiang noodles is a much loved and copied dish—Koreans know it is as the ubiquitous jajangmyeon.

[6] Dine like the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty （1644―1911） and his court did on dishes with fantastic names （‘Buddha jumps over the wall’）， fables， intricate displays （vegetables carved into dra-gons， fish and roses）， claims of medicinal qualities （skin-beautifying deer tendon） and fresh， indulgent， peculiarly Chinese ingredients （scallops， abalone， bamboo shoots， ginseng）. Each restaurant will have different recipes depending on the family they originated from11. These dishes may sound familiar but are meticulously prepared， such as juicy honey prawns slow-roasted in a stone stove until their shells are crunchy but melt in the mouth. Imperial cuisine can be a pricey banquet， but worth splashing out on12 for the lavish historical atmosphere and the fresh ingredients served up on fine china， jade or other precious dinnerware. The dishes are made to be light13 and shared so that you are able to try multiple dishes， much like a degustation14.

[7] This bubbling copper pot of soup is cooked at your table by you and your friends， adding fresh meat and veg. It’s a warming Beijing favourite and has been for over a 1000 years， much loved by the Qing royal family. Choose what raw vegetables and lamb （or other meat， fish balls or mushrooms） you would like on your platter to cook for yourself in the pot. Traditionalists choose cabbage and tofu as a minimum， while adding garlic and onion to give some punch15 to the meat broth. Then drop in ingredient-by-ingredient what you would like to cook and eat. The cuts of lamb come finely sliced in rolls and only need a few seconds dipped into the broth to cook. Each person scoops out their goodies with a slotted spoon16 （or just chopsticks） and eats it with a dipping sauce17， which can include sesame oil and fermented soybean. At the end， add the noodles to the soup to draw up the flavours.

[8] Love or hate it. One of Beijing’s most famous and unique flavours is a grey-green drink that locals have proudly adored since the Liao Dynasty （907—1125）. Sometimes translated as ‘soymilk’， Beijing’s douzhi is actually made from mung beans， has a mild sourness to it and isn’t sweet like soymilk. You’ll find douzhi throughout the city， from street stalls to restaurants， and it warrants a taste to find out if you are a douzhi lover or hater. To help mung-bean milk go down， try it with the usual accompaniment of strips of spicy pickles. Beijingers swear by the health benefits of protein-and fiber-rich douzhi and claim that it cools you down on a stifling Beijing summer’s day and warms you up in winter.

[9] If you like liver， then this sauteed18 pork-liver in a thick soup will have you licking your lips， literally. The traditional way to eat chao ganr is by sipping its salty mushroom broth directly from the bowl. You may need the spoon for the chewy lungs and intestines. This Beijing speciality isn’t subtle—it’s sprinkled with raw garlic and is served for breakfast. Yes， breakfast.

[10] Chinese yam in hot toffee， with sticky， fragrant and sweet taste， is a dessert served during the Spring Festival. Chinese yam contains high level of nutrition that can help with anti-aging. It is a traditional dish of Beijing， with at least 100 years of history. Nowadays marinated osmanthus is added and white sesame seeds are peppered19 evenly on the dish. It is better to consume it while the dish is very hot， but do dip it in cold water before putting it into your mouth， otherwise your tongue may easily get burned.

Chinese cabbage with mustard sauce

[11] This delicious spicy dish has a crispy texture with a sweet and sour flavor. It is a low-fat meal which according to ancient Chinese wisdom is beneficial to your respiratory system as well. It is a dish best enjoyed in the winter or spring.

[12] The city now boasts numerous courtyard eateries offering an array of local delicacies， including one in Xiaoyou Hutong， beside Houhai Lake.

[13] Jiumen Xiaochi， or Nine Gates Snacks， is a Qing Dynasty take20 on a food court and houses about half of Beijing’s most famous specialties under one roof. Throughout the last century， these treats were cooked up in separate establishments in the city’s ancient heart of Qianmen .

[14] “It’s difficult to pick a favorite as there is so much to choose from， but I do like the boiled sheep’s head （yangtou） here，” says Wang， before moving on to inspect the quick-fried tripe （baodu）.

Next door， a pot of bubbling brown liquid containing a hodgepodge of pig’s intestines， pork liver， soy sauce and aniseed marks the stir-fried pork liver stand. “It is important for Beijing to preserve its traditional dishes， as they are part of the city’s identity，” Wang says.

[15] Some of the snacks now gobbled up by the masses used to be for royal lips only， such as pea-flour cake （wandouhuang）， a particular favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi.

北京古老的窄巷子，即人們熟知的“胡同”，長期以來一直是孕育美食八卦的溫床。街坊鄰里常用一句“你吃了嗎？”互相打招呼，暗示餐食在日常交談中的中心地位，也讓人想起那些難得吃一頓好飯的艱苦時光。

[2]作為中國的首都，北京城以其特色菜肴聞名于世。北京菜或北方菜匯聚了河北、山東、長江下游、內蒙古和新疆等地的菜肴，品類繁盛。烹飪方法包括烤、煮、烘、熏、燉等。本地佐料和食材諸如蒜、姜、韭菜、蔥、豆豉、各式調味料、辣椒和蔬菜（特別是北方白菜），還有鴨肉、豬肉、雞肉、海鮮、牛肉以及羊肉都常用來烹制各種美食。

[3]稻米盛產于南方，那里適宜其生長，但是中國的首都位于寒冷的北方，那里種植小麥，可用于制作暖胃美食，如餃子、手工拉面等重要主食，它們都是零攝氏度以下的熨帖享受。來首都一定要嘗嘗這些標志性的北京菜。

[4]北京最著名的一道菜是北京烤鴨，烤鴨外酥里嫩、豐厚多汁，通常會切片呈上。一起上桌的還有薄薄的荷葉餅，將一片鴨肉蘸取些許甜面醬，加上黃瓜條和蔥絲裹成卷兒。北京烤鴨于元代（13世紀）首次被御膳食譜提及，直到1900年代前任御廚們在皇宮之外開設烤鴨店以后才嶄露頭角。制作烤鴨前，廚師首先會給鴨子皮下充氣，然后刺破鴨皮，給鴨身淋澆沸水。有的廚師會給鴨皮涂上麥芽糖，這樣一來，烤好的鴨子會呈金黃色。

[5]勁道、干爽、手工拉制的小麥面條，澆上色重濃稠的豬肉末黃醬，就是老北京炸醬面了。為了中和醇厚醬料那種令人上癮的咸香味兒，炸醬面常佐以新鮮的菜碼——黃瓜絲兒、脆蘿卜，時下的北京風味還會配有鮮嫩多汁的豆芽菜或毛豆（新鮮大豆）。等你饒有興致地按自己口味把各種輔料拌到面里，就可以大口吸溜起來，默默享用這美味。素炸醬面用豆腐代替豬肉。炸醬面是人們鐘愛的美食，仿制者眾多——在韓國，炸醬面無處不在。

[6]像清朝皇帝一樣享用宮廷菜，宮廷待遇是：菜名兒頗為考究（如：“佛跳墻”），有的源自傳說;擺盤復雜精巧（蔬菜雕刻成龍、魚、玫瑰花等）;號稱有藥膳功效（如：可美膚的鹿腱），還有種種新鮮的中國特色珍貴食材（扇貝、鮑魚、冬筍、人參）。不同餐廳因起源不同，菜譜配方也各具特色。這些耳熟能詳的菜品烹飪起來可謂一絲不茍，好比蜜汁大蝦，要在石頭火爐里煨烤，直至表皮酥脆而蝦肉足以入口即化?；始伊侠砘蛟S價格不菲，但仍值得為那種極盡奢華的歷史氛圍揮霍一把。那些新鮮食材由精美的瓷器、玉器或其他珍貴餐具呈上。菜品量少且可分享，所以你可以品嘗多種不同的菜肴，恰似一場品鑒會。

[7]和朋友圍坐在桌邊，一起在沸騰的銅鍋里煮新鮮的肉和蔬菜就是涮火鍋。這種北京最受歡迎的暖胃火鍋已有一千多年歷史，頗受清朝皇室青睞。你可以從盤子里夾自己喜歡的菜和羊肉（或者其他肉類、魚丸或蘑菇）來煮。傳統的食客必點白菜和豆腐做鍋底，還會用一點兒蒜和蔥來調肉湯。然后就往鍋中一點點加入想涮的食材開涮。羊肉卷兒切得很纖薄，入鍋幾秒就能熟。每個人用湯勺或者直接用筷子從鍋里撈起再蘸蘸調料就能吃了，蘸料通常包括芝麻油、豆豉等。最后再往湯里下一點面條，吸收了湯汁，味道更佳。

[8]要么愛它，要么恨它，北京有種灰綠色的飲品自遼代起就被當地人所喜愛且引以為豪，它就是豆汁兒。有時英文也會譯作soymilk，北京的豆汁兒實際上是用綠豆做成的，略微發酸，不如豆漿甜。從街邊小攤兒到大飯店，豆汁兒遍布整個城市，它的味道將人們分成兩種，豆汁兒愛好者和厭惡者。為了讓豆汁兒易于接受一些，你可以搭配常見的辣味兒咸菜絲兒試試。北京人信奉豆汁兒的健康功效，因為它富含蛋白質和纖維，并宣稱它冬夏皆宜、驅寒防暑。

[9]如果你愛吃動物肝臟，那么這道濃湯熬豬肝兒定會讓你直舔嘴，真的。傳統吃炒肝的方法是直接端起碗來喝里面的咸蘑菇湯，必要的時候用勺子吃里面有嚼勁兒的肺和肥腸。這款北京特色菜一點也不清淡——上面放了生蒜，而且被當作早餐，對，早餐。

[10]集黏、香、甜于一身的拔絲山藥，是春節期間的一道甜點。山藥有很高的營養價值，能抗衰老。這道傳統北京菜至少有100年歷史了。而今山藥上面會再加點桂花鹵，均勻地撒上白芝麻。這道菜最好趁熱吃，不過要沾沾涼水再吃，不然舌頭很容易燙到。

[11]這道美味的辣味白菜有著清脆的口感，略帶甜和酸。它是低脂菜，根據中國古代流傳的至理，這道菜對呼吸系統也有好處，于冬天或春天享用最佳。

[12]如今，這座城市有為數眾多的庭院小吃店，提供一系列當地特色美食，其中一家就在后海邊上的孝友胡同。

[13]九門小吃（或者英譯為Nine Gates Snacks）是一座有著清朝風貌的美食院落，它匯聚了全北京一半的出名美食。在上世紀，這些美食各有獨立的店面，分布在過去的城中心前門一帶。

[14]“正因為有太多選擇，所以很難說哪一樣最喜歡，不過我真的很喜歡這兒的煮羊頭?！蓖跸壬f，他正準備去看看爆肚。

而旁邊的小攤兒正煮著一鍋醬色的湯，湯里面燉著各種豬內臟。豬肝、醬油和茴香是這個炒肝兒攤子的標志。王先生說：“對于北京來說，保留傳統菜肴是很重要的，因為它們是城市身份的一部分?！?/p>

[15]現在民眾大快朵頤的一些小吃，過去只能到皇宮貴族嘴邊，比如一種豆粉做的糕（豌豆黃），曾是慈禧太后情有獨鐘的小吃。

（譯者單位：清華大學附屬中學）