It's All About the Duck!

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone

 

Duck Tales: The Origin of the Birds in Beijing’s Famous Dish

The ancestors of the Peking duck you chow down on in Beijing probably once roamed the English countryside. But that could be about to change.

 

http://image5.sixthtone.com/image/5/13/665.jpghttp://image5.sixthtone.com/image/5/13/686.jpg

 

 

But these days, those who savor arguably the most iconic Chinese dish are more likely to gobble up imported breeds than domestic ones. Overseas competition has forced most villagers out of the duck business, and 46-year-old Wu is the only such farmer left in Beifu, located in the county that once supplied most of the region’s ducks.

 

. . .

Today, a British company called Cherry Valley is the biggest importer of breeding ducks to China. Based in the northern English county of Lincolnshire, Cherry Valley started importing interbred Pekins to China in the 1980s. By 2016, at least 75 percent of all ducks sold in China were Cherry Valley breeds. The British firm’s market dominance has particularly affected farmers like Wu, who insist on raising purebred Pekins. “Cherry Valley ducks are too cheap,” he says. “They’re driving us out of the market.”

. . .

Cherry Valley duck meat differs from purebred Pekins. The latter have a fat percentage of more than 30 percent by weight; when roasted in one of Beijing’s traditional ovens, the fat saturates the skin within 60 minutes, making it extra crisp. But Cherry Valley ducks have a lower fat ratio and therefore leaner meat — which makes them less suited to roasting, Chinese gourmands say. “Cherry Valley ducks are drier, so when you roast them, the skin isn’t as crisp,” says Zhen Yi, sous-chef at an imperial duck restaurant in Sanlitun, an upscale shopping district in downtown Beijing.

 

[Randy W]

The secret to making your mouth water? Watch this video from Goldthread on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/goldthread2/videos/280989486150723/

 

Liqun Roast Duck

 

The Secret to Perfect Peking Duck is Wood

Goldthread

14K Views ·

about an hour ago ·

The secret to making the best Peking duck? Selecting the right wood, at least according to Zhang Liqun, founder of Beijing’s Liqun Roast Duck Restaurant.

 

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/goldthread2/videos/280989486150723/

[Randy W]

I thought some of that looked familiar - this video is different, but uses some of the same scenes

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/48746-pictures-of-china/?p=637147

[amberjack1234]

Yes, I remember that. I would have liked to have gone there. I actually don't like most of the roast duck as it is a little to fat and greasy for me. But never the less I would have tried it.