Quanjude Roast Duck 全聚德

In any country in the world, one will always be able to find a French restaurant and a Chinese restaurant.  This is partly due to their historical contributions, globally, to cuisine (from various techniques and styles to the creation of classic, world-renown, dishes).  From traditions dating back for more than a thousand years in some cases, many dishes have become internationally famous.  One such dish is the Peking Duck. 

The Chinese have been roasting duck since the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 A.D to 589 A.D.) and was first served to the Imperial Emperor of China, Kublai Khan, during the Yuan Dynasty.  The first written mention of the dish is in a recipe book from 1330 by Hu Shihui, an inspector of the Imperial kitchen.

Quanjude first opened its doors during the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Tongzhi on Qianmen Street, the busiest in a commercial district at the time.  Today, the original location can seat over 900.  Since then, many branches have opened throughout Beijing with more recent additions in Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia.  The largest location, on Hepingmen Ave., is where we dined and is over 7 stories tall and is the most famous location.  It has over 15,000 square feet, serves over 5000 dishes per day, has several large banquet halls, some of which include stages, as well as floors that are comprised solely of private dining suites (if you are adverse to smokers, the dining suites may be the only way to dine without that obtrusive and offensive odor).  This particular location was personally selected by the Premier of China, Zhou Enlai, for its proximity to the central government and has since been used for state banquets, official dinners, and continues to host celebrities and Presidents from the world over on a regular basis.

The likes of Fidel Castro, the Clintons, George Bush Sr., Jacque Chirac, Barack and Michelle Obama, Pele, and nearly every celebrity/movie star that has visited China has dined at Quanjude.  Quanjude also played a significant role in world history.  Nixon had sent his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, on a secret mission to Beijing - the objective was to open dialogue and relations with China.  On the morning of the first day of secret talks, nothing was happening and it seemed that the mission would amount to a complete failure.  With both parties fatigued, China's Premier said, "Lets break for lunch."  A full Peking duck 7 course meal was prepared by Quanjude for the delegation, which not only put all parties at ease but also amazed and delighted the diplomats.  The following year, Nixon became the first western world leader to visit the People's Republic of China and subsequently created a detente between the west and China.  This later became known affectionately as duck diplomacy.

The first manager of the restaurant beseeched a retired chef from the Imperial Palace and paid him a significant sum for the Imperial recipe (and rumor has it, hired that very chef to ensure the efficacy of the recipe).  No other restaurant in China has the exact recipe and Quanjude has been serving that recipe ever since.  There are two primary methods for roasting duck, each very different in style.  The original, ancient method of roasting duck is in enclosed ovens and used by Bianyifang, the first  restaurant to serve roast duck (1416 A.D.).  The other method is the open-hanging roasting method, used at Quanjude.  The open hanging roast oven was adapted from the imperial ovens in such a way that it can be said to have been invented by Yang Quanren, the founder of Quanjude.  Quanjude also roasts their ducks using subtle, fruity woods such as Chinese date, peach or pear tree wood, which imparts a hint of fruit to the skin and doesn't overpower the meat with smoky flavors.  This luxury was traditionally only available to the Imperial families.

The species of the duck is the domesticated Peking duck: the species that bread the north American mallard duck.  When hatched, the ducklings are let to roam free range and are force fed stuffed 4 times a day with special grains for 15 to 20 days.  This fattens the ducks in a particular manner.  They are then sent to their own paradise so that we may experience it here on Earth.  They are then, plucked, cleaned and soaked in boiling water and then hung to dry.  Once dried, they are lathered with maltose syrup and the insides are cleaned a second time and rehung for a minimum of 24 hours.  The duck is then roasted until it turns a shiny brown.

Watching the roasting is entertaining in itself.  The chefs use poles to move the hanging ducks closer to the fire as needed but only at short intervals so as to not burn them (the temperature of the oven is over 500F degrees!)

Tea service brings a whole new meaning to the long pour!  With the long spout, she is able to pour hot water, without spilling a drop, into every tea glass at the table from one position - a true skill!

The proper method for serving Peking duck is having it carved table-side and is an art unto itself.  An experienced professional can slice the entire bird into over 120 pieces in less than 5 minutes!  There are three stages to carving the duck - first, the skin is meticulously sliced from the duck and presented.  Then, the meat is carved and placed on pancakes (the pancakes are not the heavy sweetened American style pancakes associated with the term but rather light, nearly paper-thin membranes more representative of an unsweetened delicate crepe) and then gently lathered with hoisen sauce with placements of scallions - it is then rolled and presented. Finally, the rest of the duck is carved and plated on a platter where diners prepare their own rolled pancakes.

The traditional Peking duck meal uses the entire duck where nothing goes to waste, including the bones, which are used for broth (or may be bagged and taken home to make one's own family style of duck broth).  Everything from the beak to webbed feet are consumed.

A haunting first course - you'll lose sleep craving this!  The duck's skin is crisp, succulent, and simultaneously juicy!  It crunches in the mouth while releasing rich juices that inundate the tongue with unforgettable flavors that remain eternally in the mind.  There is a distinct duck flavor blending with a soft sweetness from the maltose syrup that inbedded itself into the skin during roasting and creates the most unique and unforgettable flavor!  For a first course, it hints at what is to come and doesn't remain in front of guests for long.

Talk about eating your heart out!  The heart was one of the most delectable parts of the bird!  Rich in flavor, strong as a muscle (the most used muscle of any animal imparts the most succinct flavor), but still moist and supple...rather firm but soft on the palate...the texture is similar to eating beef tongue made as a cold cut in Szechuan cuisine but here with a naturally rich and unforgettable flavor.   At the top of the plate is a gelatinous rendition of the ducks webbed feet and placed in the center are fried lungs and duck tripe.  While one is crisp and the other gelatinous, the two complement each other very well!

When the reputation of true Peking duck is "everything the bird has to offer," this too includes the head.  Paired with sliced duck breast and crispy skins.

A proper Chinese table is very social in nature and abundant in various vegetable dishes (as seen here) along with main meat presentations, soups, and salads.  The vegetables presented here include Persian cucumbers, Chayote, parsley, tomatoes, and scallions.  Duck soup is also present and resembles a chicken broth but with a much more succulent, rich and distinct flavor.   The full sitting takes several hours and an entire duck per person is presented for consumption.  The local beer, Yanjing, is the customary drink of choice of Beijingers and balances very well with the rich flavors of the meal.