Bespoke Beijing’s Behind-the-Scenes Peking Duck Experience is the culinary experience incurable foodies have been waiting for. Bespoke has teamed up with the lovely Chef Zhou and the superb Duck de Chine to bring you a dinner that will take your Peking duck experience to the next level.
(and it’s best you stay away from large cleavers…)
From a behind-the-scenes tour of the noisy kitchens in the engine room of the restaurant to a Q&A with the duck chef AND a specially-guided tasting of the Chinese dishes that go best with this special delicacy – this is your chance to enjoy duck properly.
Not only will you get to taste one of the best versions of this dish in the city, you’ll learn some Chinese culinary knowledge into the bargain. Chef Zhou – born in Zhejiang and raised in Holland – knows exactly what goes into preparing and roasting the bird, and will be your co-diner for the evening, on hand to answer your questions as you savor the succulent mouthfuls of crispy, juicy ‘kao ya’ with a glass of Bollinger (this is a Bespoke tour after all).
Peking duck is no flash in the pan. The first recorded mention of roast fowl in China dates back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties around 500 AD. In the 14th century it was an Imperial dish, reserved for royalty. According to imperial records, Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang loved it so much he ordered a duck a day to be slaughtered for him throughout his reign.
Like many such delicacies, it’s likely the recipe was later smuggled out of the Forbidden City by cooks or servants, finding its way into the homes of wealthy local residents (“only rich Chinese people could afford the oven,” Zhou explains).
The ducks that grace the tables of China’s capital derive from the white-downed ‘Pekin’ breed and in the late 1800s, nine of these birds were exported from China to Long Island, New York. Today 95% of ducks consumed in the US are direct descendants.
Very different from the ‘crispy aromatic duck’ eaten in Cantonese-style restaurants around the globe, proper Peking duck should have skin that’s both brittle and yielding. Getting there is a meticulous and time-consuming process, which you’ll learn all about from the team at Duck de Chine.
And when it comes to eating, aesthetics are paramount. As a rule, ducks are carved tableside in view of diners. It’s an expected piece of food theatre, part of the rhyme and ritual of eating a dish dating back to the Ming Dynasty. You’ll even learn how to expertly swaddle your duck in its paper-thin pancake so as not to lose any of its saucy goodness to your plate (or lap).
So grab your chopsticks and get set to gobble your way through the history and evolution of China’s best-loved dish. There’s no better way to learn than from the maverick chefs who are re-imagining Beijing’s signature dish for increasingly cosmopolitan diners.
Bespoke Beijing’s private Behind-the-Scenes Peking Duck Tour costs 1,150RMB per person and starts at 6pm on a day of your choosing. Find out more here.