Confused with the names? What's the difference?
Elucidation-
In 1949, after the People's Republic of China established its government, they adopted the "Pinyin" transliteration for proper Chinese names. Since then, Peking became Beijing. The Peking Duck and the Beijing Duck are essentially the same dish, at times called two different names simultaneously. As you might already know, Beijing is the capital of China; and the Beijing Duck is one of the most celebrated dishes from the capital. In the old days, Beijing Ducks were used to serve only for the upper class.
Origin-
Despite of the many arguments pertaining to the origin of the Beijing Duck, one thing is certain that the way to prepare the Beijing Duck evolved from the techniques of preparing suckling pigs. However, the imperial chefs from Beijing during the Qing Dynasty excelled in preparing this dish, and it eventually became a prominent dish on the imperial menu. This delicate dish became highly appreciated by emperors and others of the ruling families.
Techniques-
Nowadays, the ways to roast Beijing Ducks has been divided into 2 categories: 1) Closed oven -- which employs the convection of radiant heat to cook the duck slowly within the oven; and 2) Open oven -- where the ducks are hung over an open fire fueled by hardwood from particular fruit trees. Naturally, the ducklings selected for this delicacy must be solely raised for this purpose, usually 45 days old, and then forced-fed 4 meals a day for the remainder 15-20 days before slaughtering. Although there are different versions to preparing the Beijing Duck, 3 major procedures must be utilized: 1) air must be pumped under the skin through the neck to separate the skin from the meat; 2) the duck is hung in an airy place to be dried thoroughly, thus creating a crispy skin texture; and 3) the duck is glazed with a layer of maltose syrup made with maltose, honey, vinegar, wine and water.
Yen Yen's Style-
At Yen Yen, our chefs revolutionized the preparation of Beijing Duck. Therefore, you do not have to fly all the way to Beijing, China to enjoy the truly delicious Beijing Duck dinner. Our Beijing Duck dinner is served in 3 courses: 1) Skin sandwich -- duck skin is carved tableside by our skillful staff, where the sandwich is made with duck skin, plum sauce, scallion brush and Chinese steamed bread; 2) Duck meat with vegetables -- where paper-thin pancakes are rolled up with shredded duck meat and vegetables , eaten like burrito; and 3) Duck soup -- where the duck bones are slowly cooked with black mushrooms, ginger, tofu, scallions and Chinese cabbage into a sensational broth.
For your health conscience-
Your health is our top priority. Here at Yen Yen, we use the close oven technique to roast our ducks. With this cooking process, the fat of the duck is melted and drained almost completely. Although the skin is crispy on the outside, the meat is still able to maintain a tender and juicy inside. Furthermore, many studies have also indicated that: Continue consumption of burnt or barbecued food could be the possible leading cause to the development of certain cancers. Therefore, we strongly consider this a much healthier way to enjoy the Beijing Duck.
Note: Since it does demand lengthy time to prepare the duck dinner, hereby early reservation is highly recommended.
Edited by Yennie Tse 11/10/2008