The country, in one duck

I. Why it is Beijing

The Peking duck's specific character begins with the White Beijing duck — a breed developed for the specific purpose of this dish. The duck is force-fed a specific diet during its final weeks to produce the layer of subcutaneous fat that is the source of the dish's flavor and texture.

The fat renders during roasting and bastes the meat from the inside while the skin, dried and lacquered with a maltose solution before roasting, crisps to a translucent mahogany that shatters when cut.

The roasting is done in one of two methods: the hung oven, in which the duck is suspended vertically above a fire of specific fruit woods — jujube, peach, or pear — and rotated by the heat; or the closed oven, in which the duck lies horizontally and the oven door is closed. Both are correct Beijing preparations. Neither is made at home.

The skin is carved tableside and served first, with white sugar or hoisin sauce. The pancake is not an incidental accompaniment. It is the delivery mechanism for which the entire dish was designed.

II. Why Sichuan is different

I am from Chengdu, which means my relationship to food begins with Sichuan. Sichuan cooking is built on two flavor principles that define it completely: mala — the numbing-spicy combination of Sichuan peppercorn and dried chili — and guaiwei, «strange flavor», which combines sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and numbing in a single preparation.

Peking duck in Sichuan would become a different dish. The aromatics would change. The flavor profile would become more complex, more layered, more aggressive — because Sichuan cooking does not believe in restraint in the way that Beijing court cuisine did.

This is the regional difference in its essence. Beijing cooking developed under court influence that valued refinement and technique. Sichuan cooking developed in a humid inland basin where bold flavors were necessary. Neither is better. They are philosophically distinct.

III. The Eight

Cantonese cuisine from Guangdong prizes freshness and the natural flavor of ingredients. Shandong cuisine from the north is the oldest formal Chinese culinary tradition, characterized by fermented and braised preparations. Jiangsu cuisine from the east coast is sweet-leaning and technically demanding. Zhejiang, neighboring Jiangsu, is lighter, fresher, sea-influenced.

Fujian cuisine is famous for its long-simmered soups. Hunan cuisine is hot but in a different way from Sichuan — fresh chili heat rather than the numbing mala combination. Anhui cuisine uses wild herbs and mushrooms and slow-cooking methods.

Eight philosophies. One country. One word — «Chinese food» — that covers all of them and describes none of them precisely.

IV. How to season a wok in three days

Day one: wash the new wok with soap to remove the factory coating. Dry completely over high heat. Rub a thin layer of neutral oil over the entire interior surface. Place over highest flame until the oil begins to smoke. Let cool. Repeat twice more.

Day two: cook strong aromatics — ginger, scallion, garlic — in a small amount of oil over high heat until charred. Discard. Wipe the wok clean. The charred aromatics have contributed to the seasoning layer.

Day three: cook a protein over high heat with oil. The surface should be darkening slightly. After three days, the wok has an initial seasoning. After three months of daily use, it has a real patina. After a year, it is a wok.

Never wash a seasoned wok with soap. Hot water and a brush. Dry immediately over high heat. Apply a thin coat of oil before storing.

V. The argument

When you understand why Peking duck is specifically and irreducibly from Beijing, you begin to understand what the eight regional cuisines actually mean. The duck is not a national dish. It is a Beijing dish that became internationally famous because the city it comes from was, for six centuries, the seat of imperial power.

Every one of the other seven cuisines has its own equivalent dish — the dish that demonstrates the philosophy of that cuisine. Cantonese has its steamed fish. Sichuan has its mapo tofu. Hunan has its smoked pork. Each is irreducibly local. To understand Chinese food is to understand that there is no Chinese food.

Recipe — Peking Duck · a home version

Liu Bao · Chengdu · serves 4 · three days

• Serves 4
• 3 days to dry
• 90 min to roast
• Finish 425°F

The Ingredients

• 1 whole duck (5–6 lb), ideally air-chilled
• 2 tbsp maltose (or honey)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• Kosher salt for the cavity
• 12 thin steamed pancakes
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• Hoisin sauce, to serve

The method

1. Day 1. Pat the duck completely dry. Season the cavity with salt. Place on a rack in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 24 hours. The air circulation dries the skin.
2. Day 2. Brush the skin with the maltose mixture (maltose, soy, water). Return uncovered to the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
3. Day 3. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
4. Place duck breast-side up on a rack over a roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes.
5. Reduce to 325°F (165°C). Roast 1 hour more.
6. Increase to 425°F (220°C) again for the final 10 minutes to crisp the skin.
7. Rest 15 minutes. Carve the skin and meat separately. Serve with thin pancakes, sliced scallion, cucumber, and hoisin sauce.

About the contributor

Liu Bao

Liu Bao writes about Chinese regional cuisine and wok technique from Chengdu, Sichuan, China. He has spent four decades at the burner across both Sichuan and Beijing kitchens.

Editor’s notes — the longer view

A note on the breed. The White Beijing duck — sometimes called the Pekin in English — is force-fed during its final weeks to produce the subcutaneous fat layer that defines the dish. A leaner duck cannot become Peking duck. An air-chilled duck from a Chinese grocer is the closest practical substitute.

A note on the wood. Jujube, peach, or pear — the three fruit woods of the hung oven — each contribute a different smoke character. Jujube is the most traditional. At home this is academic; no domestic oven reproduces the smoke. The wood is part of why the restaurant duck is the restaurant duck.

A note on the pancake. The pancake is wheat, not rice — thin enough to be translucent, supple enough to fold without tearing. Buy them frozen at a Chinese grocery and steam ten minutes from frozen. The homemade version is not worth the labor for the return.

A note on the sugar. The traditional accompaniment is white sugar — a small dish, into which a piece of crisp skin is dipped on its own. The contrast of the hot fat and the cool sugar is the point. Hoisin is the international default; sugar is the Beijing original. Try both.

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