Columnist Nicole Lee 5 —Peking Duck story北京烤鸭的故事！

If you’ve ever tasted just one piece of  Peking duck skin, trust me, you’ll never forget it for the rest of your life. That crispy, flavorful skin, the way it melts with oil in your mouth—oh my gosh, I’m drooling already! Welcome to Nicole Talks. Today, I’m going to introduce you to the No 1 dish in China: Peking (Beijing) duck.

In my last Column, we talked about America’s most popular “Chinese” dish, General Tso’s Chicken. But this time, we’re moving on to a dish that people in China—and honestly, all over the world—can’t stop praising. Without a doubt, it’s China’s number one dish.

Beijing duck’s Chinese name is Beijing roast duck, Well, as the name suggests, it’s roast duck. But the way it’s cooked is very different from how Westerners roast turkey. I’ll explain that later. First, let’s talk about how to eat it.

There are different ways: one-duck-two-dishes, one-duck-three-dishes, even one-duck-five-dishes. The most common is one-duck-three-dishes . But no matter what, the very best part is the skin.

When the duck comes fresh out of the oven, it’s brought straight to your table. The chef slices it right in front of you, piece by piece. Back in the Qing Dynasty, top imperial palace chefs could slice exactly 108 pieces of skin from a single duck. Today, famous restaurants can usually get around 90 pieces. And slicing isn’t random—it’s an art form.

There are three main slicing styles. The traditional way is slicing with both skin and meat together. One version makes long slices, like willow leaves. Another makes small, round pieces, like fish scales. And the newest style is skin-only—no meat at all. That way, it’s even crispier and more delicious.

Now, how do you eat it? The classic way is to wrap the duck skin with scallions, cucumber, or even radish strips, plus a little sweet bean sauce, all rolled up in a thin pancake. Or you can stuff it inside a little sesame bun. This balances out the greasiness and highlights the amazing flavor. Some people just eat the skin by itself—or even dip it in sugar. Honestly, that’s next-level indulgence.

Once the skin is served, that’s the first dish. The remaining duck meat can be stir-fried with vegetables or minced into a dish called duck meat floss. And the third dish? Fried duck head, wings, or neck, sprinkled with salt and pepper—perfect as a snack with alcohol.

If you go for the five-dish version, there’s more. While slicing, the chef places a bowl under the duck to catch the dripping oil. That oil can be used to steam a duck egg custard—rich, silky, and insanely good. Finally, the leftover duck bones are boiled into a soup, often with tofu or cabbage, sometimes with noodles too. That’s enough to feed a whole family.

So, why is it called Beijing duck? Because you need a very special kind of duck: the Beijing duck breed. It’s a world-famous type, plump, short-legged, and fast-growing. Just two months after hatching, they can weigh more than two kilos.

Before cooking, the duck is brushed with a syrup made from malt sugar, then hung to dry for about twelve hours, until its skin turns a shiny deep red. Only then can it go into the oven. And the oven must use fruitwood—like jujube or pear wood—because it burns hot and clean, without smoke, and lasts a long time.

The result? A duck that looks full and glossy, with a reddish-brown skin that’s crisp, golden, and almost translucent. That skin is the best part. And the meat itself has a subtle fruitwood aroma that makes every bite even more incredible.

No matter the era, Beijing duck has always been one of the most famous Chinese dishes. If you visit Beijing, it’s a must-try. If you want tradition, go to Quanjude. If you want something modern and a little less greasy, Da Dong is your spot. But honestly, in Beijing, you can walk into almost any duck restaurant and it’ll be delicious.

And if you’re in the U.S. or other countries, you can also find it in big city Chinatowns.

Some Americans wonder if “Beijing duck” and “Peking duck” are different things. Nope—they’re the same. “Beijing” is Mandarin, while “Peking” comes from Cantonese pronunciation.

Alright, that’s all for today’s stories, ByeBye !

Author Nicole Lee: Kinder High School For the Persorming and Visual Arts’ student.

北京烤鸭的故事！

作者：李亦君Nicole Lee（HSPVA休斯顿艺术高中学生）

如何你吃过一片北京烤鸭皮，你一定一辈子都忘不了那又脆又香、满嘴流油的满足感，那种难以形容的满足感，哇！！我口水都要流出来了，欢迎收看妮可说，今天给您介绍中国第一名菜北京烤鸭，上一期妮可说我们介绍了美国式中国名菜左宗鸡，今天介绍的北京烤鸭，是不论中国还是全世界任何地方的人赞不绝口的、当之无愧的中国第一名菜。

北京烤鸭，顾名思义，是一只烤出来的鸭子，不过这个烤法与西方烤火鸡的方式不一样，我们后面再讲，我们先讲吃的方法，吃北京烤鸭有一鸭两吃、一鸭三吃、一鸭五吃，最常见的是一鸭三吃。不管哪种吃法，最精华的部分是吃皮，刚从烤炉里拿出来的鸭子马上送到客人的餐桌旁，由大厨当着客人的面，一片一片地将皮片下来，严格来说，清代皇宫里的顶级大厨能将一只烤鸭片出108片皮来。现在知名烤鸭店的大厨，能将每只鸭子片出90片皮左右，片皮也是很有讲究的，一般有三种片法：传统的片法是皮肉不分，每一片都要连皮带肉，第一种是片成条状的柳叶片，第二种是片成片状的鱼鳞片，第三种是近年来才有的皮肉分离片法，就是光片下来皮，一点肉都不要有，这样吃起来更脆更好吃。片出来的鸭子皮，最传统的吃法，就是配上大葱、黄瓜条、萝卜条、甜面酱，用荷叶饼“卷着吃”，或用小烧饼“夹着吃”。这种吃法能够最大程度中和掉烤鸭的油腻，发挥烤鸭的鲜美。也有些人喜欢直接吃皮，或者将鸭皮粘上白糖吃，这样吃更过瘾。

烤鸭片完皮以后，鸭皮是第一吃，剩下的鸭肉可以炒成鸭松，或者加上蔬菜炒成一道热菜。一鸭三吃的最后一吃是椒盐鸭头鸭翅膀，炸出来的鸭头鸭脖子沾着椒盐吃，是很好的下酒菜。

烤鸭还能做到五吃，除了前面说的皮、肉和鸭头以外，在片烤鸭皮时，可以在鸭子身下放个小碗，片皮时会有油滴下来，用这碗油去蒸个鸭蛋羹，特别香滑。最后一吃是鸭架子，也就是皮和肉、鸭头鸭脖子都剔除后剩下的鸭骨架，有人喜欢将鸭架子加上豆腐白菜煮汤，也可以在汤里再煮上一些面条，都够一家人吃了。

北京烤鸭为什么叫北京烤鸭？是因为一定要选北京这个地方养出来的北京鸭。北京鸭是世界上着名的肉用鸭品种之一，身子胖腿短，生长快，刚孵出来的小鸭，2个月后就能长到2公斤以上。鸭子在烤制之前，先要裹上用热水溶解的麦芽糖，掛起来晾乾长达十二小时，等到皮肤变成亮丽的深红色，然后才能送入炉子里烤，烧炉子的必须是枣木、梨木等果木，果木烧制时，无烟、底火旺，燃烧时间长。烤出的鸭子外观饱满，整个烤鸭颜色呈枣红色，鸭子皮酥脆、晶莹剔透，成了烤鸭最好吃的部分，鸭肉带有一股果木的清香，细品起来，滋味更加美妙。

不管在什么时候，北京烤鸭都是最着名的中国大菜，去北京一定要去吃北京烤鸭！在北京吃烤鸭，您如果要吃老字号，那就去全聚德；如果您想吃北京烤鸭，但害怕过多的油脂又要追求那一口的香味儿，可以去新派的大董烤鸭店。其实，您在北京的街上，随便走进任何一家烤鸭店，每家的烤鸭都那么好吃。如果您在美国或其他国家，去到任何一个大城市的chinatown，也都能吃到好吃的北京烤鸭。

有些美国人不知道Beijing Duck和Peking duck有什么区别，其实，就是一个东西北京烤鸭，不过普通话叫beijing dauck，广东话叫peking duck。

好了，今天的故事就讲到这儿了，如果您想了解其他的中国美食和文化，我们下次再接着讲。