The 18th of January is celebrated annually as National Peking Duck Day in China to commemorate the country’s signature dish, Peking Duck. The luxurious flavour and intricate preparation of Peking duck make it a delicacy.
Since the founding of the Yuan Dynasty by Kublai Khan, thousands of years have gone into perfecting the technique used to make Peking duck. You can now find Peking duck in Chinese restaurants outside of China, so there’s no need to go to China only to eat it. Crispy, delicious skin is the hallmark of well-cooked Peking duck.
History
Peking duck has one of the longest histories of any dish in Chinese cuisine. This Beijing-style cuisine has a long and storied history, with its origins stretching back at least 700 years and its name directly referencing the capital city of China.
In 1330, a somewhat involved recipe called for roasting the duck within the stomach of a sheep, making it the earliest known written reference to Peking duck. The presentation and preparation of Peking duck have both progressed in recent decades. The dish’s most noticeable evolution is the transition from a closed oven to an open oven for roasting the ducks.
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Typically, Peking duck is served with a stack of paper-thin pancakes. Meat is folded up in a pancake and then doused in a sweet sauce. It’s an excellent method of savouring this delectable food.
Traditional Peking duck is a specialty dish served in many of Beijing’s most renowned and historic eateries. Some of these eateries have been open for business for over a century. Quanjude, one of the most well-known of these eateries, has hosted numerous well-known politicians throughout the years.
On National Peking Duck Day, the rich history of this dish and the Chinese culture that created it can be celebrated and enjoyed in wonderful fashion.
Interesting Facts About National Peking Duck Day
- The first course of the Peking Duck feast often consists of the crispy skin dipped in sugar. The next course consists of thin pancakes stuffed with delicious duck meat, bean sauces, hoisin, garlic, onion, cucumber, and more. An end-course soup or broth made from duck is served.
- The movie “A Christmas Story” helped propel Peking Duck to new heights of notoriety.
- Food like this was reserved for the aristocracy or the very wealthy in ancient China.
- Beijing, once known as Peking, is where the name of the duck first appeared; therefore, the city can claim some credit for the moniker.
- While popularly associated with Beijing, the Peking Duck really has its roots in Nanjing, the capital of China’s Jiangsu province. Beijing became the Ming dynasty capital, and with it came the dish.
- Because it was so well-liked by both natives and foreigners, the dish quickly rose to prominence as a symbol of the nation.
- The typical flavour and taste of the duck are achieved by roasting it in either a closed oven or a hanging oven.
- In 2012, The Huffington Post included it in a list of the top 10 foods readers should try before they die.
How To Commemorate
This dish is deserving of your palate due to the robust flavours as well as the preparation, which requires a significant amount of time and effort. In several eateries, the meal is presented to customers with only the skin and a small amount of flesh, both of which are sliced dramatically in front of them before being delivered.
The preparation of the Peking Duck dish as a whole is quite difficult and necessitates a significant amount of perseverance and tolerance in order to attain the desired outcomes.
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On the occasion of National Peking Duck Day, you have the option of either having a lunch consisting of Peking Duck at a restaurant of your choosing or preparing the dish on your own at home and sharing it with members of your family and/or circle of friends. On this day, you may also watch the movie “A Christmas Story,” which has a well-known delicacy known as Chinese Turkey. You can view the movie at any time.
No matter how you want to observe National Peking Duck Day or Peking Duck Day, be sure to spread the word by using the hashtags #NationalPekingDuckDay and #PekingDuckDay across all of your social media platforms and online discussion groups.
Facts About China
- As of September 2020, China will have more than 1.4 billion inhabitants, making it the most populous country on the planet.
- There are a number of other Chinese languages besides Mandarin, including Yue, Wu, Minbei, Minnan, Xiang, Gan, and Hakka. Mandarin is the most widely spoken variety.
- The festivities surrounding the Chinese New Year stretch for a full 15 days.
- The Spring Festival is the most important festival in China, and it is observed in either January or February.
- There is only one time zone in China.
- Everyone in Beijing adheres to the official time, despite the city’s enormous size.
- Every year, the Chinese spend a total of $260 billion, which is twice as much as American tourists spend.
