Delicious duck is key to famous Chinese dish

Owner and chef Zhang Liqun in his restaurant

From Lisa Rose Weaver
CNN Beijing Correspondent

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China’s culinary diversity can be tasted in the country’s well-worn streets, where food vendors and farmers' stalls sell everything from specialty meats to poultry, soups, vegetables and cakes.

In the Chinese capital of Beijing, one of the most celebrated dishes of Pekingese, or Mandarin Chinese cuisine, is Peking duck. More than three centuries old and named for Beijing’s former title, Peking, the roasted duck dish is served in several courses involving rolled-up pancakes surrounding crisp skin, scallions and a sauce.

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CNN's Lisa Rose Weaver reports on the way one restaurant in Beijing may have perfected the dish Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

During the second course, the actual meat of the duck is served up with vegetables, followed by a final course of soup stewed with the duck's bones and celery cabbage.

Before it’s served, though, authentic Peking duck requires a perfect oven roast -- about 40 minutes so that each duck is evenly browned, according Zhang Liqun, a Beijing restaurant owner. Zhang aims to keep his Peking duck sales focused on quality, not quantity.

Zhang places another duck in his wood-fired oven

"Because we roast very few ducks, we can do it very well," Zhang said. "We can keep up the standards of preparation at every step."

The process starts with a specific breed of duck, the Imperial Peking, which is force-fed and housed in a small cage so that inactivity will ensure tender meat. At a mere six weeks old, the duck’s neck and head are left intact as the bird is killed and dressed for roasting.

Next, air is forced between the skin and flesh so the fat will be rendered out during roasting and the skin, long considered the choicest part, will turn crispy.

Zhang said a high-quality roasting oven is important too, along with wood for the fire rather than any other form of fuel.

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About.com site on Peking duck

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