Peking Duck

China has always been a country that is firmly on the travellers list of must see countries and the food here definitely reflects that. The country can be a little difficult to travel around without offering the full infrastructure that other countries can offer, however, this does not stop them being home to some of the worlds most amazing cuisine. So arrange your flight to Beijing today and have dishes you have never had before

As Beijing has advanced technologiclly over the years it has also become home to some of the more well known food chains, pizza places, burger joints etc but don’t let this distract you with it’s well known logos and colourful signs, take a look somewhere else and you will be amazed at some of the food that you can find here. Whether it is the more well known peking duck or the lesser known Moo Shu Pork there is something here for every palate.

Being home to almost 50,000 restaurants means that Beijing is the true mecca of food in China and offers a little something for every taste, every waist line and every budget. Should you be visiting China during any of their festivals you really will be amazed at the popularity of some of the dishes, however, almost any restaurant that you can visit will be sure to offer you diversity from its neighbour.

Here are some of the amazing dishes that this vibrant city has to offer:

Pinyin – This is a Chinese hot pot style dish that is incredibly popular here in Beijing and is designed as a sharing dish that is set out on the table as it is. You will receive slices of lamb and there will be a boiling pot on the table, just use some chopsticks to hold your piece of lamb in place and once the colour changes this is ready to be removed and enjoyed. The lamb is sliced incredibly thin to allow it to cook fast and this is a fun, enjoyable dish that friends can enjoy together.

Peking Duck – This is one of Beijings most famous dishes and is widely known as being a Chinese national dish, even your local Chinese takeaway probably offers this on their menu. This is a seasoned cooked duck served with onions, pancakes and hoisin sauce. Some of the variations that you will find here will use different kinds of seasoning and different serving sauces but overall you will find some beautiful ducks that are tender and wonderful to eat.

Zha Jiang Mian – This is a dish of thick wheat noodles served with ground pork with a wonderful fermented soybean paste. While sounding like quick a simple dish this is bursting full of flavours and is a current favourite of mine when in Beijing.

One of the most amazing snacks that is to be found in Beijing is the Chatang which is a soup served by street vendors. It is made from a special flour mix which can include sorghum, broomcorn millet, proso millet and glutinous millet flour which is usually stir fried and added with hot water to make a mush type soup. This is then served with a type of sugar and a sauce. This is a real delicious warming soup that has to be tasted to be experienced truly, it looks a little strange on first glance but is absolutely delicious.

It is fair to say that there are some far weirder dishes available in Beijing and they will be happy to use almost any part of an animal, regardless of what it looks or tastes like making for some very unique experiences with food. Everything from the pigs head to bee larvae is used here and if you enter some of the poorer areas you will find insects and other strange animals on the menu that you probably won’t see served in any other part of the world.

Beijing really is a city that must be visited on your travels, even if just so you can experience some of the amazing food that is sold by the side of the road. There is something here for everyone from the weird to the wonderful and you must be brave and try at least one dish without asking what it is made from, well, not until afterwards anyway!