Beijing cuisine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beijing cuisine
Peking duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing
Chinese	北京菜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Běijīng cài
Jing cuisine
Chinese	京菜
Literal meaning	Cuisine of the capital
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin jīng cài
Beiping cuisine
Chinese	北平菜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Běipíng cài

Beijing cuisine, also known as Jing cuisine, is the traditional food style from Beijing, the capital city of China. It's also called Mandarin cuisine or Peking cuisine. This food style has been shaped over many centuries.

What is Beijing Cuisine?

Beijing has been China's capital for a long time. This means its food has been influenced by many different cooking traditions from all over China. The biggest influence comes from Shandong Province, which is on the eastern coast. In return, Beijing cuisine has also greatly influenced other Chinese food styles, especially in Liaoning and the special foods made for Chinese emperors and rich families.

How Imperial Kitchens Shaped Beijing Food

A big part of Beijing cuisine comes from the "Emperor's Kitchen" (Chinese: 御膳房; pinyin: yùshànfáng). This was a huge cooking area inside the Forbidden City. Thousands of chefs from all over China worked there. They used their best skills to create amazing dishes for the emperor and his family. Because of this, it's sometimes hard to know where a Beijing dish truly started. The word "Mandarin" can mean food from Beijing, but also from other provinces.

Key Features of Beijing Dishes

However, we can still describe Beijing cuisine in some general ways:

• Many original Beijing foods are often snacks, not main meals.
• These snacks are usually sold by small shops or street vendors.
• Chefs often use dark soy paste, sesame paste, sesame oil, and green onions.
• Fermented tofu is often served as a side dish.
• Many cooking methods involve different ways of frying.
• Unlike other parts of China, rice is not as common as a main side dish. This is because Beijing's climate is quite dry, so not much rice grows there.

Influences from Other Regions

Many main dishes in Beijing cuisine come from Chinese Halal foods, especially lamb and beef dishes. Halal food follows Islamic dietary rules. Another important influence is Huaiyang cuisine. This food style has been famous in China for a long time. Officials moving to Beijing often brought their own chefs who specialized in Huaiyang cooking. When these officials left, many chefs stayed in Beijing. They opened their own restaurants or worked for wealthy locals.

The Ming dynasty imperial family also helped bring Huaiyang cuisine to Beijing. Their family came from Jiangsu Province. When the capital moved from Nanjing to Beijing in the 15th century, the imperial kitchen mostly cooked in the Huaiyang style. Even the tradition of enjoying Beijing opera while eating comes from the culture of Jiangsu and Huaiyang foods.

Chinese Islamic cuisine also played a big role, especially when Beijing became the capital during the Yuan dynasty. But the biggest influence on Beijing cuisine came from Shandong cuisine. Many chefs from Shandong Province moved to Beijing during the Qing dynasty. Unlike the earlier food styles, which were brought by rich rulers, Shandong cuisine became popular with everyone, from wealthy merchants to working-class people.

History of Beijing Cuisine

The Qing dynasty was a very important time for Beijing cuisine to develop. Before the Boxer Rebellion, restaurants and food places in Beijing had a strict ranking system. This system was set up by food service groups. Each type of place served a specific group of people. The best places served nobles, rich families, and wealthy merchants. Lower-ranked places served people with less money or lower social status.

During this time, Beijing cuisine became very famous in China. This strict ranking of food services was a key part of its food culture.

Changes After the Qing Dynasty

The official ranking system ended after the Qing dynasty. This led to a second big growth period for Beijing cuisine. Meals that were once only for nobles became available to anyone who could afford them. Chefs could move freely between different restaurants. This helped them share their skills, which made Beijing cuisine even richer and more developed. Even though the old laws were gone, some of the ranking structure remained, but it slowly became less strict.

Here are the different types of food establishments from that time, from highest to lowest rank:

Zhuang: Top-Tier Dining

Zhuang (simplified Chinese: 庄; traditional Chinese: 莊; pinyin: zhuāng; literally "village") or zhuang zihao (simplified Chinese: 庄字号; traditional Chinese: 莊字號; pinyin: zhuāng zìhào; literally "village brand") were the highest-ranked food places. They offered not just food but also entertainment, usually Beijing opera. These places had long-term deals with opera groups or famous performers. They only took group bookings for banquets, often filling most of their tables. A large part of their business was catering at people's homes for special events like birthdays, weddings, or funerals. They would even make special dishes if customers asked.

Leng zhuangzi (simplified Chinese: 冷庄子; traditional Chinese: 冷莊子; pinyin: lěng zhuāngzǐ; literally "cold village") were similar but only did catering, with no rooms for banquets.

Tang: Second-Class Establishments

Tang (Chinese: 堂; pinyin: táng; literally "auditorium") or tang zihao (simplified Chinese: 堂字号; traditional Chinese: 堂字號; pinyin: táng zìhào; literally "auditorium brand") were second-class places. Their business was split evenly between hosting banquets and catering. They also had opera troupes perform regularly, but not usually the most famous stars. For catering, they mostly stuck to their menu.

Ting: Foyer-Style Dining

Ting (simplified Chinese: 厅; traditional Chinese: 廳; pinyin: tīng; literally "foyer") or ting zihao (simplified Chinese: 厅字号; traditional Chinese: 廳字號; pinyin: tīng zìhào; literally "foyer brand") focused more on hosting banquets than catering. They still offered entertainment, but the performers changed often, and top stars rarely appeared. For catering, these places usually had to work together with other restaurants to handle big jobs.

Yuan: Garden Restaurants

A Jing Jiang Yuan (京醬園) near Beihai, around 1879.

Yuan (simplified Chinese: 园; traditional Chinese: 園; pinyin: yuán; literally "garden") or yuan zihao (simplified Chinese: 园字号; traditional Chinese: 園字號; pinyin: yuán zìhào; literally "garden brand") mostly hosted banquets at their own location. They had stages for Beijing opera performers, but these performers usually paid the restaurant to perform and then shared their earnings. These places sometimes helped with catering but never led the job.

Lou: Multi-Story Eateries

Lou (simplified Chinese: 楼; traditional Chinese: 樓; pinyin: lóu; literally "story, floor") or lou zihao (simplified Chinese: 楼字号; traditional Chinese: 樓字號; pinyin: lóu zìhào; literally "story brand") mainly hosted banquets by appointment. They also served walk-in customers. If they catered, they only provided a few of their most famous dishes.

Ju: Residence-Style Restaurants

Ju (Chinese: 居; pinyin: jū; literally "residence") or ju zihao (simplified Chinese: 居字号; traditional Chinese: 居字號; pinyin: jū zìhào; literally "residence brand") split their business between serving walk-in customers and hosting banquets for groups. Like the lou, they only offered their special dishes for catering. However, they might bring already-cooked food instead of always cooking on site.

Zhai: Study-Style Eateries

Zhai (simplified Chinese: 斋; traditional Chinese: 齋; pinyin: zhāi; literally "study") or zhai zihao (simplified Chinese: 斋字号; traditional Chinese: 齋字號; pinyin: zhāi zìhào; literally "study brand") mostly served walk-in customers. They also hosted some banquets by appointment. For catering, they would bring their famous dishes already cooked, only cooking on site sometimes.

Fang: Workshop-Style Shops

Fang (Chinese: 坊; pinyin: fǎng; literally "workshop") or fang zihao (simplified Chinese: 坊字号; traditional Chinese: 坊字號; pinyin: fǎng zìhào; literally "workshop brand") usually only served walk-in customers. They did not host banquets by appointment. These places and any lower-ranked ones were not called upon for catering special events.

Guan: General Restaurants

Guan (simplified Chinese: 馆; traditional Chinese: 館; pinyin: guǎn; literally "restaurant") or guan zihao (simplified Chinese: 馆字号; traditional Chinese: 館字號; pinyin: guǎn zìhào; literally "restaurant brand") mainly served walk-in customers. They also earned some money from selling food to go.

Dian: Shops

Dian (Chinese: 店; pinyin: diàn; literally "shop") or dian zihao (simplified Chinese: 店字号; traditional Chinese: 店字號; pinyin: diàn zìhào; literally "shop brand") had their own place, like the higher ranks. However, only half of their income came from customers dining in. The other half came from selling food to go.

Pu: Stores

Pu (simplified Chinese: 铺; traditional Chinese: 鋪; pinyin: pù; literally "store") or pu zihao (simplified Chinese: 铺字号; traditional Chinese: 鋪字號; pinyin: pù zìhào; literally "store brand") were second to last in rank. They often had the owner's last name in their name. These places had their own spots, but they were smaller than dian and only had seats, no tables. Most of their money came from selling food to go.

Tan: Food Stands

Tan (simplified Chinese: 摊; traditional Chinese: 攤; pinyin: tān; literally "stand") or tan zihao (simplified Chinese: 摊字号; traditional Chinese: 攤字號; pinyin: tān zìhào; literally "stand brand") were the lowest-ranked food places. They had no tables and only sold food to go. These stands were often named after the owner's last name or nickname, or after the food they sold.

Popular Beijing Dishes and Street Foods

Meat and Poultry Dishes

Bao du

Hot and sour soup

Jing jiang rou si

Lǔzhǔ huǒshāo

Moo shu pork

Prepared and sliced Peking duck

Shao yang rou, a mutton dish

Stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs

Fish and Seafood Dishes

Noodles (Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian)

English	Image	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Notes
Noodles with thick gravy		打滷麵	打卤面	dǎlǔmiàn
Sesame Sauce Noodles		麻醬麵	麻醬面	májiàngmiàn	A popular noodle dish in Northern China. The sauce is made from sesame paste and sesame oil.
Zhajiangmian		炸醬麵	炸酱面	zhájiàngmiàn

Pastries

English	Image	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Notes
Fried butter cake		奶油炸糕	奶油炸糕	nǎiyóu zhágāo
Fried cake with fillings		燙麵炸糕	烫面炸糕	tàngmiàn zhágāo
Fried sesame egg cake		開口笑	开口笑	kāikǒuxiào	The name means "open mouth and laugh/smile."
Jiaoquan		焦圈	焦圈	Jiāoquān	Looks like a fried doughnut but is crispier.
Sachima		沙琪瑪	沙琪玛	sàqímǎ	A Chinese pastry from Manchu culture.

Vegetarian Dishes

Bingtanghulu

A bowl of douzhi (left) with breakfast items

Nai lao (Beijing yogurt)

Liangfen

Shaobing

Traditional tangyuan with a sweet sesame filling

Wotou

Xi gua lao

Zongzi both ready to eat (left) and still wrapped in a bamboo leaf (right)

Beijing Delicacies

• Deep-Fried Pie
• Soy Bean Curd

Famous Beijing Restaurants

Many old restaurants in Beijing helped create Beijing cuisine. Sadly, many have closed down. But some have managed to stay open until today. Here are a few of them:

The introduction board at the Bianyifang describes the restaurant's history

• Bai Kui (白魁): Started in 1780.
• Bao Du Feng (爆肚冯): Started in 1881, also known as Ji Sheng Long (金生隆).
• Bianyifang: Started in 1416, it's the oldest restaurant still open in Beijing!
• Cha Tang Li (茶汤李), started in 1858.
• Dao Xiang Chun (稻香春): Started in 1916.
• Dao Xian Cun (稻香村): Started in 1895.
• De Shun Zhai (大顺斋): Started in the early 1870s.
• Dong Lai Shun (东来顺): Started in 1903.
• Dong Xin Shun (东兴顺): Also known as Bao Du Zhang (爆肚张), started in 1883.
• Du Yi Chu (都一处): Started in 1738.
• Dou Fu Nao Bai (豆腐脑白): Started in 1877, also known as Xi Yu Zhai (西域斋).
• En Yuan Ju (恩元居), started in 1929.
• Fang Sheng Zhai (芳生斋), also known as Nai Lao Wei (奶酪魏), started in 1857.
• Hong Bin Lou (鸿宾楼): Started in 1853 in Tianjin, moved to Beijing in 1955.
• Jin Sheng Long (金生隆): Started in 1846.
• Kao Rou Ji (烤肉季): Started in 1828.
• Kao Rou Wan (烤肉宛): Started in 1686.
• Liu Bi Ju (六必居) Started in 1530.
• Liu Quan Ju (柳泉居): Started in the late 1560s, the second oldest restaurant still open in Beijing.
• Nan Lai Shun (南来顺): Started in 1937.
• Nian Gao Qian (年糕钱): Started in early 1880s.
• Quanjude (全聚德): Started in 1864.
• Rui Bin Lou (瑞宾楼): Originally started in 1876.
• Sha Guoo Ju (砂锅居), started in 1741.
• Tian Fu Hao (天福号): Started in 1738.
• Tian Xing Ju (天兴居):, started in 1862.
• Tian Yuan Jian Yuan (天源酱园): Started in 1869.
• Wang Zhi He (王致和): Started in 1669.
• Wonton Hou (馄饨侯): Started in 1949.
• Xi De Shun (西德顺): Also known as Bao Du Wang (爆肚王), started in 1904.
• Xi Lai Shun (西来顺): Started in 1930.
• Xian Bing Zhou (馅饼周): Started in the 1910s, also known as Tong Ju Guan (同聚馆).
• Xiao Chang Chen (小肠陈): Started in the late 19th century.
• Xin Yuan Zhai (信远斋), started in 1740.
• Yang Tou Man (羊头马): Started in the late 1830s.
• Yi Tiao Long (壹条龙): Started in 1785.

Images for kids

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  Peking duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing

See also

In Spanish: Gastronomía de Pekín para niños