Many friends of ours who have grown up in Western countries are drawn to the mystical colors of Eastern countries. China, with its ancient civilization, is by far the most charming of all the countries in the eastern world. For this reason, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony will make audiences around the world get carried away by China’s recordable and colorful culture. During the period of the Beijing Olympics, you will surely like to have a fuller understanding of the culture of China. To satisfy your desire to understand Chinese culture, SANLIDA Co. has prepared specifically for you the special column entitled The Beijing Olympic Games and Chinese Culture.
Both Peking Roast Duck (Peking Duck) and American Roast Turkey originated from roast goose from Mediterranean regions. The birds were the help and the gift that God gave to man. But man likes to eat only birds that are big and fleshy. The goose is a fleshy bird and is also a special product of the Mediterranean regions. When it is roasted to eat, its meat is delicious and tender. Therefore, roast goose is a traditional dish in Europe and is widely recognized as a delicacy.
When the Europeans came to America, they found that the bird that God gave them as a gift this time was the turkey. Then they ate roast turkey and thanked God. After knowing the origin of roast turkey, it will be easier for you to accept the following story about roast duck as true. The roast goose of the western world can be considered in a sense the progenitor of the roast duck of China. The technique of roasting the goose was passed down to China twice: once during the Yuan Dynasty, when China was ruled by the Mongols, and later again during the Qin Dynasty, when China was under the rule of the Manchu conquerors. The Mongol Empire occupied a huge territory that stretched from eastern China westward to the regions of the Mediterranean Sea. This was the reason why people from the Western world, like Marco Polo, may have come to China. They brought to China quite a bit of the culture of the western world, including the cannon and the roast goose. How did roast goose turn into roast duck? The cause of the transformation was no different than that of the transformation from roast goose to roast turkey.
The Chinese began domesticating wild ducks two thousand years ago, but the Europeans did not. Instead, they tamed the goose very early. As China had specialized in duck production for thousands of years, this bird became a special product of the country and was preferred by the Chinese to the goose, which was generally not in favor. Furthermore, the duck used for the production of roast duck was an excellent species carefully bred by the Chinese over a long period of time. The scientific name of the species is Beijing duck. It was imported by the United States in 1874 under the name of Peking duck, and from then on it spread throughout the world. However, the duck of this species that is raised in China is still reputed to be the best.
The method originally used in China to roast a duck was almost the same as that used in the Western world to roast a goose. It was called “airtight oven roast duck.” In fact, its main characteristics were essentially those that characterized the western way of preparing the roast goose. A kiln was built by laying stones or bricks. A fire was made to burn inside the oven, so that a large amount of heat was absorbed by the oven walls, and the duck placed in the oven was subsequently roasted by the heat dissipated by the walls until well cooked.
Near the end of the Qing Dynasty, the method of roasting duck underwent a change. The hermetic oven was replaced by the hanging oven. In other words, airtight oven roast came to be combined with roast over a blazing fire. The body of the duck was smeared with honey and then hung for roasting, so that not only did the roast duck have the aroma imparted by the burning log, but the high temperature characteristic of the airtight oven could also be achieved.
During that period, the Chinese people made a powerful innovation in the duck roasting process. They ended the gutting of the duck. Only a small hole was made in the body to extract the viscera. High pressure air was blown into the space between the skin and the meat, so that the two were separated from each other. The duck carcass was then smeared with maltose syrup and left to dry in a cool place. The whole duck would turn almost crimson, as if it had been painted with red lacquer. For this reason, some foreigners jokingly called the Beijing roast duck the “lacquered duck”.
Regarding the details, it should be noted that before putting the duck in the oven, the chest must be filled with boiling water and the hole closed by tying it with a piece of rope. The boiling water should be discharged only after the roasting process has finished. This seemingly trivial modification has several advantages. First, the duck will not lose water when roasted. Second, the water will keep the duck’s breast puffed up so that the skin does not shrink and soften with roasting, with the result that the duck’s skin will be thin and crisp and it will become the most delicious part of the duck. roast. . Roasted in this way, the duck will be golden and shiny, its surface will be crisp and fragrant, and its meat will be very tender with a peculiar flavor.
The fuel for the kiln is hardwood extracted from trees such as the jujube (Chinese date), peach and pear tree, because that fuel burns with little smoke and emits fragrance, and the fire is not too fiery. Each duck will be slightly charred on the surface after roasting for about 40 minutes, but the inside will remain soft and tender and the meat will be rich and full. So how are you going to serve yourself the roast duck? The procedure is simple. The roast duck will be brought to the table on a large plate after being thinly sliced with a sharp knife. This dish will be accompanied by another dish full of baked pancakes and other toppings. It is enough to spread a pancake with the sweet sauce of fermented flour and put a little chives and crushed garlic together with a slice of roast duck and roll the pancake. When you are eating the muffin you will find that the flavor is exquisite as well as the sweet smell that accompanies it. A roast duck weighing 2 kilograms can produce more than 100 slices of meat with the shape and size of a clove leaf, and the meat is crisp, tender and fragrant with a special flavor.
Epicureans claim that roast duck is tastiest in three seasons, namely winter, spring, and fall. The reason is that the Beijing duck meat is full and tender during winter and spring. In autumn, the sky is clear and as a result it seems higher, the air is refreshing, and both the temperature and humidity are suitable for roast duck. What’s more, ducks are generally fat and stocky at this time.
August is the time when the air is cool and warm for the season. It is the right occasion to taste Peking Roast Duck. How can you count yourself as someone who has been to Beijing if you haven’t eaten any Beijing roast ducks? So don’t miss out on trying this “delicacy on earth under heaven”, as the Chinese call it, when you come to see or participate in the Beijing Olympics.
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