What is roast duck?
The first is the Hangzhou theory, also called the Yuan Dynasty theory. It is said that during the Southern Song Dynasty, there were many restaurants in Lin'an, and the catering industry was extremely developed. Zhejiang is a famous water town that produces excellent ducks. If it is burned with fire, it will become a roasted duck. At that time, it was already a famous delicacy in Lin'an. When the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Song Dynasty, Lin'an was defeated. The Yuan soldiers captured all the workers in Lin'an and brought them to most of the capital, including the kitchen workers. As a result, Roast Duck settled in Beijing, and after generations of improvement and development, it became today's Peking Roast Duck.
The second type is the Nanjing theory, also called the Ming Dynasty theory. It is said that Nanjing was the capital of Zhu Ming Dynasty, and Nanjing was rich in lake ducks. The imperial dining room carefully studied duck dishes, including salted duck, crispy duck, cured duck and roast duck. Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing and brought roast duck to Beijing. It was also introduced to the people from the court and became a famous dish in Beijing.
The third theory is the Beijing theory, also called the native theory. It is said that the Jin Dynasty established Beijing as its capital more than 800 years ago. At that time, Yan's land was lush with forests, green mountains, and was surrounded by streams and ravines. There were white ducks with thick and tender meat. Jurchens are good at hunting, and after hunting, they will shave off their hair and roast it for food. Later, the palace chef added roasting procedures and refined the seasonings, making it the original roast duck. The white duck has been domesticated for generations and evolved into the current Peking duck. After Beijing chefs improved the baking method, a set of fixed techniques was formed, which has become a famous delicacy for generations. Peking duck is really a native Beijing dish.
The fourth theory is the Xi'an theory. Zhang Yu (zhuo)'s "Chao Ye Qian Zai·Volume 2" cites the records of "Taiping Guangji" as early as after Wu Zetian established the Zhou regime (AD 690 ), when Wu Zetian's favored minister Zhang Yizhi was in charge of controlling the crane, he competed with his younger brother Zhang Changzong for luxury. Zhang Yizhi placed the geese and ducks in a large iron cage. He lit a charcoal fire in the cage and used a copper basin to hold the five-flavor juice. The geese and ducks walked around the fire and drank the five-flavor juice when they were thirsty. The fire made the geese and ducks keep coming and going. As it moves around, its feathers gradually fall off, and it is grilled to death. Its meat is fat, tender and delicious. According to this, as early as more than 1,300 years ago, Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, had the original roast duck.
The fifth theory is the Kaifeng theory.
People all know that Kaifeng is the birthplace of authentic Henan cuisine. There are many famous dishes and traditional snacks that are well-known at home and abroad. However, they do not know that "Bianjing" is the birthplace of authentic Henan cuisine. "Roast duck" is the "originator" of Chinese roast duck. It has been a famous brand product for more than a thousand years and has a long history.
The ducks in Bianjing Roast Duck are not ordinary ducks. They weigh two to three kilograms. They are raised and "stuffed" by specially trained people in the duck house. They are large and thin-skinned. Seasoning, and then coated with a layer of honey, bright and shiny. Make a small opening under the leg bone, insert the trachea and inflate it until it looks plump, plump, round and oily. At this time, it is mouth-watering even before it is baked.
To bake, use fruit tree firewood to heat the furnace, then spread the fire evenly, hang the duck in the furnace, and seal the furnace door. Roast the duck until the whole body turns persimmon red and the aroma is overflowing.
This is roast duck. The skin is browned and crispy, and the meat is tender and smooth inside. Cut the duck meat into thin slices. Each slice has skin, meat and oil, and apply a layer of lotus leaf cake on it. Sweet noodle sauce, add green onions, and roll the duck slices in. It tastes fat but not greasy, delicious and delicious. Then, use the "duck rack" to stew the soup, which is refreshing and delicious.
I remember that in an article written by Mr. Liang Shiqiu about food, the first sentence was: "Beijing roast duck is famous at home and abroad." In fact, there was no roast duck in Beijing originally, and the roast duck technology was passed on from Bianjing.
As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, roasted chicken and roast duck were already famous dishes in Bianjing restaurants, which was recorded in "Tokyo Menghua Lu". After the Jin soldiers captured Bianjing City, a large number of craftsmen, artists and merchants from Bianjing fled to Jiankang (Nanjing) and Lin'an (Hangzhou) along with King Zhao Gou of Kang. Roast duck became a delicacy among the people and officials in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Southern Song Dynasty scholar Hong Meng recorded in "Yi Jian Ding Zhi" that Wang Li, a famous roast duck expert who was the best at roast duck skills, was the first famous roast duck master in my country who was mentioned in the classics. When the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan general Boyan Zeng brought Lin'an's craftsmanship to Dadu (today's Beijing). In this way, Bianjing's roast duck technology was spread to today's Beijing.
Quanjude, a famous Beijing roast duck restaurant, wrote an article introducing this information in an early issue of "Chinese Cooking" magazine. Since I don't have the book on hand, it is difficult to cite it. It is said that in the early 1950s after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Quanjude from Beijing made a special trip to Kaifeng to hire a roast duck chef. Many elderly people in Kaifeng's culinary community still remember this event.
During the Qing Dynasty, Kaifeng's roast duck skills experienced new developments. Not only did the craftsmanship become more sophisticated, but there was also a place dedicated to feeding ducks. At that time, famous restaurants in Kaifeng such as Shanjinglou, Zuoshangchun and Youyicun all had their own cramming rooms. Another new hotel built after the founding of the People's Republic of China still retains its own duck breeding ground, just south of the East Lake of Baogong Lake today.
The roots of Peking Roast Duck are in Kaifeng, but because Beijing later became the capital and the political, economic and cultural center of the country, Peking Roast Duck became famous all over the world.