Beijing

Soy milk, used to make hot soup, serve with youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), the combination of soy milk soup with fried dough is dou jiang you tiao (doujiang youtiao)

Douzhi is a traditional fermented drink from Beijing cuisine similar to soy milk. Made as a byproduct of cellophane noodle production, it has a light gray color and a distinct, slightly sour smell, with hints of green vegetables and cooked potatoes. Douzhi originated during the Liao and Song dynasties, when Beijing was a key center in northern China. During this period, residents of Beijing, including both royal family members and Han officials, enjoyed Douzhi as a breakfast staple. By the Qing dynasty, Douzhi’s popularity had even reached the imperial court. Records from the Qianlong era note an official report to the emperor suggesting that Douzhi be inspected for cleanliness, and if deemed suitable, to serve it within the palace. In modern Beijing, Douzhi is more than just a drink—it is a symbol of local culinary tradition and an experience for those seeking to connect with authentic Beijing culture. Douzhi can be commonly found at both morning and evening markets in Beijing because some Beijing residents enjoy it as a breakfast choice. When drinking Douzhi, people often visit small street stalls or local restaurants to enjoy it in a leisurely morning. The pickled vegetables and jiaoquan are typically placed in a bowl first, with the hot Douzhi poured over them. To eat, people use chopsticks to pick up the pickles and jiaoquan, dipping them in the Douzhi. Due to its unique taste of mildly sour, Douzhi is favored by locals, though it may be an acquired taste for visitors from other regions. Today, it is also considered an important part of Beijing’s cultural experience, frequently recommended as a local street food for tourists to try.

Jianbing is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crêpes. It is a type of bing generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts." The main ingredients of jianbing are a batter of wheat and grain flour, eggs and sauces, cooked quickly by spreading the batter on a large frying pan or a specialized flat hotplate. It can be topped with different fillings and sauces such as baocui (薄脆, thin and crispy fried cracker), ham, chopped or diced mustard pickles, scallions and coriander, chili sauce, or hoisin sauce depending on personal preference. It is often folded several times before serving. Jianbing has seen international popularization in recent years and can be found in the West, sometimes with modifications to cater to local tastes.

Jianbing guozi is a popular Chinese street food originating in Tianjin. The exact origin of Jianbing guozi has not been verified, and it was the supplement of Tianjin Ta Kung Pao on 20 November 1933, that first appeared in modern newspapers. In June 2017, the skill of making Jianbing guozi was included in the fourth batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage list in Tianjin, and is said to be "one of China's most beloved street breakfasts", especially in Tianjin and the neighboring province of Hebei. It is a sub-category of jianbing and consists of pancakes made from mung bean flour, eggs, and youtiao (fried dough sticks) or crispy "dragons", served with sweet bean sauce, diced green onion, and optionally chili sauce.

Jiao quan is a dish from Beijing cuisine. It has a golden color and is shaped like a bracelet. It feels crispy and crunchy when eaten. The unique taste of it is very popular in Beijing cuisine. People usually eat jiaoquan with shaobing and douzhi. Jiao quan is a special Beijing local food. The shape of it is like a doughnut, but it has a crispier texture.

Millet flour porridge topped with sesame seed paste

Shaobing , also called huoshao, is a type of baked, unleavened, layered flatbread in northern Chinese cuisine. Shaobing can be made with or without stuffing, and with or without sesame on top. Shaobing contains a variety of stuffings that can be grouped into two main flavors: savory or sweet. Some common stuffings include red bean paste, black sesame paste, stir-fried mung beans with egg and tofu, braised beef, smoked meat, or beef or pork with spices. Shaobing is not very well known in southern China,[citation needed] unlike other northern dishes like mantou, baozi, and youtiao. Most Shaobing are popular in the northern part of China. Different types of shaobing are often associated with certain cities and towns. Shaobing is a common breakfast item. Filled shaobing are usually eaten with soy milk and tea, while unfilled ones are usually eaten with steamed eggs or a breakfast meat dish. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, shaobing are served with hot pot (huǒguō) in winter or soy milk.

Chinese steamed eggs or water egg is a traditional Chinese dish found all over China. Eggs are beaten to a consistency similar to that used for an omelette and then steamed. It is sometimes referred to as egg custard on menus. The eggs are beaten and water added to create a more tender texture. A good ratio of water to eggs is 1.5:1. Sesame oil, soy sauce, or chicken broth may be used to add additional flavor. Other solid ingredients may also be added to the mixture. The egg mixture is poured into a dish, which is then placed in a steamer and steamed until fully cooked. The eggs should be steamed until just firm, so that the texture of the eggs is still smooth and silky. A plate is usually placed on top of the bowl containing the egg mixture and left on while the egg is being steamed. Uncapped steamed eggs will have water on top of the finished dish due to the steam.[citation needed]

A wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun in transliteration from Cantonese 雲吞 / 云吞 (wan4 tan1) and wenden from Shanghainese 餛飩 / 馄饨 (hhun den). Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China, Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas. Wontons, which have their origins in China, have achieved significant popularity as a sought-after delicacy that is not only celebrated and enjoyed in East Asian cuisine, but also across various Southeast Asian culinary traditions.

Pork liver, for example, stir fried, soup

Aiwowo is a traditional dessert from Beijing, China. Aiwowo became well-known as early as the reign of the Wanli Emperor during the Ming dynasty. There was a record of Aiwowo in Chapter 7 of the 17th-century novel JinPingMei. In ZhuoZhongZhi, a 17th-century book that talks about different events happened in the emperor's family, the author states the existence of Aiwowo within the royal class.[citation needed] During the Qing dynasty, the Fragrant Concubine of the QianLong Emperor was bored with the dishes within the palace. When the Emperor heard that Concubine had a husband from XinJiang Province before she came to the palace, the Emperor commanded him to make snacks for her. He made a snack from his own hometown with Hui culture. The Concubine loved this snack so much that the Emperor commanded the chief to bring the snack every day. The snack became famous within the Forbidden City, and across the whole city of Beijing. A eunuch asked for the husband's name and he said it was “Ai Meti.” Because of the chef's family name, the emperor called this snack “Ai Wo Wo,” in which “Wo Wo” translates to bowl-shaped pastry. The word “Ai" is not only a family name but also translates as an honorific for the elderly in traditional Chinese. At that time, the Emperor often said “Yu Ai Wo Wo,” which means "give me the snack." The sentence evolved to “Ai Wo Wo,” as the snack is now called.

Almond tofu is a soft, jellied dessert made of apricot kernel milk, agar, and sugar popular throughout East Asia. The name "tofu" here refers to "tofu-like solid"; soy beans, which are the main ingredient of tofu, are not used. This naming convention is also seen in other East Asian dishes, such as Chinese yúdòufu (魚豆腐) and Japanese gomadōfu (胡麻豆腐). Apricot kernel milk is often confused with almond milk, as apricot kernel itself is often confused with almond. In the traditional recipe, the primary flavoring agent is apricot kernels, soaked and ground with water. The mixture is strained, sweetened, and heated with a gelling agent (usually agar). When chilled, the apricot kernel milk mixture solidifies into the consistency of a soft gelatin dessert.[citation needed]

Bingguo is a traditional dessert dish of Beijing cuisine. The main ingredients of this dish include lotus root, almonds, walnuts, lotus seed, sugar and lotus leaf. The lotus root, lotus seeds, almonds and walnuts are chopped into small pieces and steamed. The sugar is mixed with water and then boiled to become syrup. The lotus leaf is cut into small pieces and soaked in boiling water. The steamed ingredients are placed on the lotus leaf with syrup poured on top and then cooled by ice (or nowadays in a refrigerator) and served cold. As the dessert is served in a bowl, the dish is also called bingwan (冰碗, lit. "ice bowl"). Unknown, Unknown. "Bing Guo". visitbeijing. Beijing Tourism. Retrieved 25 September 2024.

Deep-fried and candied sweet potatoes/yams

Stir-fried hawthorn is a traditional dish of Beijing cuisine, made from Chinese hawthorn fruits. Another traditional dish of Beijing cuisine, hawthorn yogurt (hongguolao, 红果酪), utilizes stir-fried Chinese hawthorn fruits, as its main ingredient by adding it to Nai Lao.

A pudding-like dessert made with milk and rice wine, may also include raisins, walnuts, almonds

Kai kou xiao is a fried sesame egg cake found in Chinese cuisine. Also called "smiling sesame cookies" or "laughing balls", they are a popular dish during Lunar New Year for their resemblance to a smiling mouth. The traditional culinary method of this dish begins with the preparation of flour, peanut oil, egg, sugar, malt sugar, sesame seeds and baking soda. With the exception of the sesame seeds, everything else is mixed together, and the resulting dough is cut into pieces. The sesame seeds are boiled in water and each small piece of dough is rolled in the sesame seeds. The end result is then fried on a skillet. The chef must lift the frying pan off the stove and put it back on depending on the situation. The resulting opening crack is where the literal name in Chinese comes from, as it resembles a happy smiling mouth.

Mizhi hulu is a traditional dish in Beijing cuisine consisting of pork fat with a flour wrapping glazed in honey. The traditional preparation method of this dish begins with mixing the pork fat with flour and then rolling it into circular forms. Flour is mixed with warm water to form spheres, which are then soaked in boiling water. After the flour sphere is taken out of the boiling water, the process is repeated three times, and finally they are mixed with eggs to form a paste. The pork fat covered with flour is then cut into pieces and each piece is covered with the paste made of flour and egg, and deep fried. Honey is stewed until its colour turns dark, then the fried pork fat spheres covered with paste are dipped into the honey, and the dish is served. Before serving, other ingredients such as sugar can be added. Usually, for every three hundred grams of pork fat, two hundred grams of honey and two eggs are used. Due to its high sugar content and the usage of pork fat, it is considered unhealthy and thus not commonly prepared or consumed.

Misandao is a fried cake glazed in malt sugar and is a traditional dish of Xuzhou cuisine. The basic ingredients to this dish are flour, baking soda, and vegetable oil. About 25% of the flour would be mixed with water, baking soda, and malt sugar for fermentation, and this is the outside skin. The remaining flour would be mixed evenly with water and this is the inner part. Both types of dough would be compressed into rectangular shapes and stacked. The sandwiched dough would then be compressed thinner and cut into long strips, and then folded and cut three times into 4 equal parts. The resulting dough pieces would then be fried in vegetable oil. Once the fried dough pieces are taken out, they are dipped in malt sugar and then served. The origin of the name is said to come from Su dong po, who named it when it was served soon after he had made three cuts into a wall with a knife in a moment of revelry.

Lüdagun is a traditional Manchu snack in China. It originated in Manchuria and later became famous in Beijing. The yellow soybean flour sprinkled over the pastry makes it look like a donkey rolling on the loess, which gave rise to its Chinese name, "Lüdagun" (rolling donkey). In the Beijing dialect, erhua causes the name to be pronounced as 驴打滚儿; lǘdǎgǔnr. The origin of the lüdagun is recounted in a folk tale. The story goes that during the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi was tired of imperial food, so she asked the royal chef to cook something new. After some deliberation, the chef decided to make a dish using sticky rice and red bean paste. When the chef finished cooking, a young eunuch, named Lü (pronounced as "lyu", the same pronunciation as donkey in Chinese), carelessly dropped the dish into soya bean flour, but there was no time to re-make the dish. The chef had to serve it to Cixi. However, Cixi praised the taste and wondered what the name of the dish was. The chef had never thought about this question, but he named it as "Lüdagun" to credit eunuch Lu's carelessness. The main ingredients are sticky rice flour, red bean paste, and soybean flour. The exact recipe for making a lüdagun may vary depended on regions and eras, but the general steps for making a modern lüdagun are described as follows. The sticky rice flour is first mixed with warm water to a dough, then after being steamed, the sticky rice paste is shaped into a long strip covered with red bean paste on top, and then it is rolled up into a cylinder-shaped pastry. Finally the pastry is sprinkled with soybean flour, and it is ready to be served.

Sachima is a sweet snack in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. Its decoration and flavor vary in different regional Chinese cuisines, but the appearance of all versions is essentially the same, somewhat similar to that of American Rice Krispies Treats. Originally, in Manchu cuisine sachima is a sweet snack. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and rock sugar. It is now popular in mainland China among children and adults. The Cantonese pastry version of sachima is slightly sweet. It is also made of essentially the same ingredients as the other varieties of sachima. It is often sprinkled with sesame seeds, raisins or dried coconut. The Cantonese variety of sachima ranges from chewy to crunchy in texture. Most overseas Chinatowns offer the Cantonese style of the pastry. It is commonly found in Hong Kong.

Fried and glazed pastry that resembles a human ear

Xi gua lao is a traditional dish of Beijing cuisine. It is a thickened and chilled watermelon juice eaten in summer time. The dish is commonly prepared using these ingredients: watermelon, cherries, agar, sugar and vanilla powder. Water is mixed with agar, vanilla powder and sugar and boiled into a syrup. The watermelon is crushed to get the juice out of it and mixed with the syrup. The mixture is then chilled until thick and served cold.

Yin si juan is a Shandong style bread. The name comes from the long threads of dough that are pulled when it's being made. Yin si juan are typically made from wheat flour, giving them a white appearance. They are first steamed, then can be baked. There are two main ways to assemble yin si juan from the stretched dough threads; one in which the lengths are wrapped in a sheet of dough, and another in which the ends of the stretched dough are pinched together and folded in on itself to secure the shape.

Yun Dou Juan is a traditional dish of Beijing cuisine. After the water is heated to the boiling point, the kidney beans would then be boiled in the hot water for at least an hour and then steamed for at least twenty minutes afterward. The kidney beans would then be crushed and compressed into linear mash/paste form with diameter of 3.5 cm. The mash/paste would then be placed on a piece of wet cloth and formed into rectangular shape with knife, and a layer of bean paste is placed on top of the rectangular shaped kidney bean mash/paste, and rolled together. When serving, the resulting roll would be cut into smaller pieces.[citation needed]

Soy milk, used to make hot soup, serve with youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), the combination of soy milk soup with fried dough is dou jiang you tiao (doujiang youtiao)

Douzhi is a traditional fermented drink from Beijing cuisine similar to soy milk. Made as a byproduct of cellophane noodle production, it has a light gray color and a distinct, slightly sour smell, with hints of green vegetables and cooked potatoes. Douzhi originated during the Liao and Song dynasties, when Beijing was a key center in northern China. During this period, residents of Beijing, including both royal family members and Han officials, enjoyed Douzhi as a breakfast staple. By the Qing dynasty, Douzhi’s popularity had even reached the imperial court. Records from the Qianlong era note an official report to the emperor suggesting that Douzhi be inspected for cleanliness, and if deemed suitable, to serve it within the palace. In modern Beijing, Douzhi is more than just a drink—it is a symbol of local culinary tradition and an experience for those seeking to connect with authentic Beijing culture. Douzhi can be commonly found at both morning and evening markets in Beijing because some Beijing residents enjoy it as a breakfast choice. When drinking Douzhi, people often visit small street stalls or local restaurants to enjoy it in a leisurely morning. The pickled vegetables and jiaoquan are typically placed in a bowl first, with the hot Douzhi poured over them. To eat, people use chopsticks to pick up the pickles and jiaoquan, dipping them in the Douzhi. Due to its unique taste of mildly sour, Douzhi is favored by locals, though it may be an acquired taste for visitors from other regions. Today, it is also considered an important part of Beijing’s cultural experience, frequently recommended as a local street food for tourists to try.

Nailao, also known as Beijing yogurt , is a traditional fermented milk drink that is popularly consumed throughout China. The word suannai means "sour milk". Nailao (or suānnǎi) is prepared by heating milk and adding sugar to it. Two types of nuts mixed with raisins and rice wine made from glutinous rice are poured in and thoroughly stirred. A special device called lào tǒng (酪桶, lit. 'yogurt barrel') is used during production. A lào tǒng contains a heat chamber in the center, providing the heat needed for cooking. The milk is mixed with rice wine and honey or sugar and is rapidly poured into fifty small bowls. The bowls are then stacked along the inner wall of the yogurt barrel, heated for about thirty minutes, and later cooled. Places that sell suānnǎi traditionally serve it in ceramic containers that must be returned to the vendor. However, many vendors now serve suān nǎi in disposable plastic cups.

Beggar's chicken is a Chinese dish of chicken that is stuffed, wrapped in clay and lotus leaves (or banana or bamboo leaves as alternatives), and baked slowly using low heat. Preparation of a single portion may take up to six hours. Although the dish is traditionally prepared with clay, the recipe has evolved; for convenience and safety it is often baked with dough, oven bags, ceramic cooking pots, or convection ovens. Beggar's chicken is very popular in China, with many regions claiming it as traditionally their own. Most experts agree the dish originated in Hangzhou. The clay-wrapped method of slow cooking is thousands of years old. Various legends surround the origins of beggar's chicken.[failed verification][unreliable source?] In one, a beggar stole a chicken from a farm but having no pot or utensils, he wrapped the bird in lotus leaves and packed clay or mud around it, set it in a hole where he had lit a fire, and buried it. When he dug up the chicken and cracked open the clay, he found the meat was tender and aromatic. In other versions, the beggar stole the chicken from the emperor and used the mud-hole method to avoid smoke that might attract the imperial guards. Alternatively, the emperor stopped to dine with the beggar and so enjoyed the dish that he added it to the imperial menu and the beggar prospered by selling the dish to locals. Another legend, the dish was a childhood favorite of Emperor Gaozu of Han, who had been born a peasant. When he became emperor, the recipe became an imperial specialty. Finally, in another legend, during the 17th century toward the end of the Ming dynasty in Changshu, saying that politician and Koxinga's mentor Qian Qianyi met the beggar who made the impromptu dish and had his chefs improved the recipe.

Instant-boiled mutton is a Chinese hot pot dish. Traditionally, Chinese people have eaten it inside the home during cold winter weather, but in recent times, instant-boiled mutton has been eaten year-round. It is also served in restaurants. Mutton slice often uses different cuts from the back (e.g. shangnao, sancha, etc.) and rear legs (e.g. modang). The tail of the lamb is used to prepare the soup base. Instant-boiled mutton dates back to the Yuan Dynasty. At one point during a battle, the Khagan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan, had a sudden craving for stewed mutton. However, the enemy's troops were approaching. To satisfy Kublai Khan's desire, a chef quickly cut off a dozen thin mutton slices and put them in boiling water. He removed them as soon as the lamb changed color and put them into a bowl with salt. Kublai Khan finished the mutton quickly and returned to the battle, which he won. At the victory banquet, Kublai Khan requested that the chef make this lamb dish again and named it instant-boiled mutton.

Chaogan is a Chinese dish which is especially famous in Beijing. Chaogan is prepared from pork liver, pork intestine and starch, seasoning with garlic, vinegar and soy sauce. Chaogan is traditionally served with mantou buns. There is a belief that chaogan was invented in Huixianju restaurant (会仙居), Beijing during the Qing Dynasty.

Chuan , especially in the north-east of China referred to as chuan'r (Chinese: 串儿), are small pieces of meat roasted on skewers. Chuan originated in the Xinjiang region of China. It has been spread throughout the rest of the country, most notably in Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan and Jilin, where it is a popular street food. It is a product of the Chinese Islamic cuisine of the Uyghur people and other Chinese Muslims. Chuan are small pieces of meat roasted on skewers over charcoal or sometimes, electric heat. It is also sometimes cooked by deep frying in oil (popular in Beijing). It can be classified as a type of kebab. Chuan was traditionally made from lamb (yáng ròu chuàn, 羊肉串, lamb meat chuan), which is still the most common kind, but now, chicken, pork, beef and various types of seafood can also be used. Especially in some tourist areas, chuan can be found made with various insects, bugs, birds and other exotic animals. In general, chuan may be spiced according to preference, but generally cumin seeds, dried red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and sesame or sesame oil are sprinkled or brushed onto it. Another popular incarnation is mantou chuan or "steamed bun chuan"; it is commonly brushed with a sweet bean sauce (甜面酱, not to be confused with sweet red bean paste) and its taste serves as a foil to the often spicy meat chuan. In Tianjin and Jinan, chuan is often served with small round breads (馅饼, xiàn bǐng), also grilled with the same spices. Xiàn bǐng technically means "pie" or "filled bread". After cooking the bread and meat, the bread is split open and chuan meat is stuffed inside, then eaten together.

Jiaozi are a type of Chinese dumpling. Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together. Jiaozi can be boiled (shuǐjiǎo), steamed (zhēngjiǎo), pan-fried (jiānjiǎo), or deep-fried (zhàjiǎo), and are traditionally served with a black vinegar and sesame oil dip. They can also be served in a soup (tāng jiǎo). Jiaozi have great cultural significance within China. Jiaozi are one of the major dishes eaten during the Chinese New Year throughout northern China and eaten all year round in the northern provinces. Their resemblance to the gold and silver ingots (sycee) used in Imperial China has meant that they symbolize wealth and good fortune.

Jingjiang rousi , or sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce, is a traditional dish in Beijing. Its main ingredient is pork tenderloin, which is stir-fried with soya paste or sweet soya paste for flavour. The dish is served with shredded leek (only using its white stalk) and doupi (dried tofu layer) to wrap. A vegetarian variant uses fried tofu puffs in place of pork. It may be prepared and consumed wrapped in doupi, or rarely with bing. Some versions are prepared using hoisin sauce.

Laobing is a type of unleavened flatbread popular in parts of northern China, including Beijing. It is sometimes referred to as a Chinese pancake. Laobing can be the size of a large pizza, about one centimeter thick, and is doughy and chewy in texture. The bing is made by pan frying a rolled and layered unleavened dough consisting of salt, flour, and water. Most laobing are plain, although some have scallions or brown sugar inside the pastry. Laobing is usually cut into slices and served as a staple food, or can be stir-fried with meat and vegetables to make chaobing (stir-fried Chinese pancakes).

Soup with pig intestines and lung, pork, pieces of shaobing/huoshao flatbread, tofu

Fried meat pie with a savory beef filling

Hot pot traditionally with mutton, vegetables, noodles, many ways to serve

Moo shu pork or mu shu , originally spelled moo shi pork (Chinese: 木樨肉) is a dish of northern Chinese origin, originating from Shandong. It invariably contains egg, whose yellow color is reminiscent of blossoms of the osmanthus tree, after which the dish is named. In its traditional Chinese version, moo shu pork consists of sliced pork tenderloin, cucumber, and scrambled eggs, stir-fried in lard together with bite-sized cuttings of wood ear mushrooms (black fungus) and enoki mushrooms. Historically the original dish in Shandong cuisine contained bamboo shoots. It was adapted into Beijing cuisine replacing bamboo with crunchy daylily blossoms. When home-cooked either may be replaced with cucumber. The dish is seasoned with minced ginger and garlic, scallions, soy sauce, and rice cooking wine (usually huangjiu). The dish is traditionally eaten by itself. The dish is prepared with julienned pork, cabbage, scrambled egg, carrots, and wood ear mushrooms (black fungus). Hoisin sauce is painted on the inside of a thin flour-and-water pancake, or recently, sometimes, a Mexican tortilla, which is then used to wrap the filling.

Peking duck is a dish from Beijing[a] that has been prepared since the Imperial era. The meat is characterized by its thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred especially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is often eaten with spring onion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce, with pancakes rolled around the fillings. Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern dynasties. A variation of roast duck was prepared for the emperor of China in the Yuan dynasty. The dish, originally named "shāo yāzi" , was mentioned in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages (飲膳正要) manual in 1330 by Hu Sihui (忽思慧), an inspector of the imperial kitchen. The Peking roast duck that came to be associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming dynasty, and by then, Peking duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. The first restaurant specialising in Peking duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, close to Qianmen of Beijing in 1416. By the Qianlong period (1736–1796) of the Qing dynasty, the popularity of Peking duck spread to the upper classes, inspiring some poets and scholars who enjoyed the dish. For instance, one verse of "Dūmén zhúzhīcí", a local Beijing poem, was "Fill your plates with roast duck and suckling pig".

Qingtang wanzi is a traditional meatball soup found in Beijing cuisine. Traditionally, this dish includes the main ingredients: 300 grams (11 oz) of tenderloin, 50 grams (1.8 oz) of egg white, wood ear, oil, cooking wine, sesame oil, cilantro, green onion, and ginger. The tenderloin, ginger and green onions are minced and made into balls by mixing with egg whites. The meatballs are boiled until they float to the surface and then taken out and served with coriander and sesame oil. Vegetables are served together with meatballs.

Roujiamo or rougamo is a street food originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province. The meat is most commonly pork, stewed for hours in a soup containing over 20 spices and seasonings. Although it is possible to use only a few spices (which many vendors do), the resulting meat is less flavourful. Some alternatives are also available. For example, in Muslim areas in Xi'an, the meat is usually beef (seasoned with cumin and pepper), and in Gansu Province it is often lamb. The meat is then minced or chopped and stuffed in "baijimo", a type of flatbread. An authentic baijimo is made from a wheat flour dough with yeast and then baked in a clay oven, but now in many parts of China, baijimo is made in a frying pan, giving a taste that diverges significantly from the clay oven-baked version. Depending on the types of spices used to cook the meat and the way the bread is made, the taste of roujiamo can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. Roujiamo is not a full meal and is often sold in the form of combo with liangpi.[citation needed] It is found with regional modifications across China.

Ruan zha li ji is a traditional dish of Beijing cuisine consisting of pork tenderloin strips that have been soft fried. The traditional culinary method of this dish begins with the preparation of the main ingredients that include 200 grams of tenderloin, four eggs, 30 grams of cooking wine, 30 grams of flour, 10 grams of sesame oil, 1 kg of pork fat, and salt. The tenderloin is cut into slices 4 cm long and 2 cm thick, and soaked in the mixture of rice wine and salt. Egg whites are mixed with flour in a container to form a paste thick enough to keep a chopstick in a standing position. Pork fat is heated and the marinated meat slices are fried for five minutes. When the cooked tenderloin slices are ready for serving, sesame oil is added. Due to the use of pork fat, the dish is considered unhealthy, and the vegetable oil has been used as an alternative, but many have claimed that this results in the dish not being, as tasty as when pork fat is used.

Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine, and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Sweet and sour sauce remains popular in Asian and Western cuisines. Sweet and sour dishes, sauces, and cooking methods have a long history in China. One of the earliest recordings of sweet and sour may come from Shaowei Yanshi Dan , a menu of the food served in Tang dynasty (618–907) "Shaowei banquet" festivals written in 708. It included many sweet and sour adjacent dishes and recorded that they were invented by Chancellor Wei Juyuan under Emperor Zhongzong of Tang when he hosted the Emperor at his house. Some authors say that the original sweet and sour sauce (traditional Chinese: 糖醋醬; simplified Chinese: 糖醋酱; pinyin: tángcùjiàng) came from the Chinese province of Henan, but the sauce in this area is a light vinegar and sugar mixture not resembling what most people, including the Chinese, would call sweet and sour. Many places in China use a sweet and sour sauce as a dipping sauce for fish and meat rather than in cooking, as is common in Westernized Chinese cuisine. This style of using sauces is popular amongst Chinese who tie certain sauces to particular meats such as chili and soy for shrimp and vinegar and garlic for goose. There are, however, some dishes, such as the Cantonese sweet and sour pork or loong har kow (sweet and sour lobster balls), in which the meat is cooked and a sauce added to the wok before serving.

A wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun in transliteration from Cantonese 雲吞 / 云吞 (wan4 tan1) and wenden from Shanghainese 餛飩 / 馄饨 (hhun den). Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China, Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas. Wontons, which have their origins in China, have achieved significant popularity as a sought-after delicacy that is not only celebrated and enjoyed in East Asian cuisine, but also across various Southeast Asian culinary traditions.

Thin tofu wrapper filled with minced meat then deep-fried

Zhajiangmian , commonly translated as "noodles served with fried bean sauce", is a dish of Chinese origin consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with zhajiang, a fermented soybean-based sauce. Variations may include toppings of fresh or pickled vegetables, beans, meat, tofu, or egg. In the Western press, it is occasionally dubbed "Beijing bolognaise" due to its superficial similarity (both dishes involve noodles with minced meat sauce) and ubiquitous nature. Zhajiangmian originated in Shandong, China and is a popular dish that has evolved into distinct versions across many cuisines both within and beyond China. The most well-known variation is arguably Beijing zhajiangmian (北京炸醬麵), which is recognized as one of the Ten Great Noodles of China (中國十大麵條). Zhajiangmian has also been adapted into the cuisines of South Korea (as jajangmyeon), and Japan (as jajamen).

Pork liver, for example, stir fried, soup

Baodu is a halal tripe dish that is part of Beijing cuisine. It is traditionally prepared by the Muslim Hui people. It was first recorded in the Qing dynasty. There are many restaurants and street peddlers selling it in Beijing, such as Baodu Feng, a traditional and well-known restaurant established in 1881. Traditionally, customers at a baodu restaurant can order various different cuts of lamb or beef tripe to their liking.

Wheat pasta pieces stir fried with beef, chicken, vegetables

Chatang or seasoned flour mush is a traditional gruel common to both Beijing cuisine and Tianjin cuisine, and is often sold as a snack on the street. Depending on the region, it can be made using flour from one or more of a number of grains, including sorghum, broomcorn millet, proso millet, glutinous millet or wheat. The Chinese name is figurative, not literal, as there is neither any tea nor any soup in this dish. The dish is prepared in two steps. First, the flour is cooked in advance, often by stir-frying. When a customer orders the dish, hot water is poured into a bowl containing the flour(s) to create a paste-like mush, which is served with white and/or brown sugar and sweet osmanthus jam (桂花酱; guìhuā jiàng). The sweet osmanthus plant is not native to northern China. Traditionally, the skill of the server was judged on several factors and one of them is regarding the resulting mush: the most skillful server would be able to create the mush so thick that when a chopstick is inserted into the mush it remains vertical, while at the same time, the mush remains fluid. Other criteria for the servers' skills included the ability not to splash any hot water outside the bowl and spill out any flour, because traditionally, all ingredients are placed in a bowl into which is poured boiling water from a special copper kettle with a long, dragon-shaped spout called lóngzuǐ dàtónghú (龙嘴大铜壶; 'dragon-mouth large copper kettle'), and special skills were needed to handle this equipment. The ingredients are then stirred together and the chatang is eaten with a spoon.

Stinky tofu is a Chinese form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. It is usually sold at night markets or roadside stands as a snack, or in lunch bars as a side dish, rather than in restaurants. Traditionally the dish is fermented in a brine with vegetables and meat, sometimes for months. Modern factory-produced stinky tofu is marinated in brine for one or two days to add odor. Generally speaking, stinky tofu is mainly made of tofu. After fermentation of edible mold, tofu can produce a large number of B vitamins, a variety of minerals and trace elements. The flavor of stinky tofu is bitter. Unlike cheese[citation needed], stinky tofu fermentation does not have a fixed formula for starter bacteria; wide regional and individual variations exist in manufacturing and preparation.

A thin, Northern bing traditionally eaten to celebrate the beginning of spring, commonly filled with Peking duck, shredded chicken, moo shu pork, vegetables

Deep-fried fritters made with minced meat, pork belly, chicken, vegetables

Large pan-fried cylinder-shaped dumplings filled with minced pork, vegetables

Sauce made for dumplings (gyoza, jiazi), many different dipping sauces exist

Fuling jiabing , also known Fu Ling Bing or Tuckahoe Pie, is a traditional snack food of Beijing and is an integral part of the city's culture. It is a pancake-like snack made from flour, sugar, and fuling (Poria), rolled around nuts, honey, and other ingredients. The flour can be mixed with fuling (Wolfiporia extensa), a kind of Chinese medicine from Yunnan province that is used to rid the spleen of dampness. Different ingredients are rolled into the pancakes making a variety of Fuling jiabing. The pancakes can be carved into beautiful patterns, too. It used to be a light snack served to the royal family or governmental officials in the Qing Dynasty. Now it has become a must-have snack of Beijing. Daoxiangchun (稻香村) is the known for its Fuling jiabing.

Vegetarian sausage made with a filling of mung bean or sweet potato starch and spices, this sausage may also be made with minced meat

Hot pot dipping sauces, there are many different types of dipping sauces

Jianbing is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crêpes. It is a type of bing generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts." The main ingredients of jianbing are a batter of wheat and grain flour, eggs and sauces, cooked quickly by spreading the batter on a large frying pan or a specialized flat hotplate. It can be topped with different fillings and sauces such as baocui (薄脆, thin and crispy fried cracker), ham, chopped or diced mustard pickles, scallions and coriander, chili sauce, or hoisin sauce depending on personal preference. It is often folded several times before serving. Jianbing has seen international popularization in recent years and can be found in the West, sometimes with modifications to cater to local tastes.

Jiao quan is a dish from Beijing cuisine. It has a golden color and is shaped like a bracelet. It feels crispy and crunchy when eaten. The unique taste of it is very popular in Beijing cuisine. People usually eat jiaoquan with shaobing and douzhi. Jiao quan is a special Beijing local food. The shape of it is like a doughnut, but it has a crispier texture.

Fried meat pie with a savory beef filling

Millet flour porridge topped with sesame seed paste

Peach produced in Pinggu, Beijing, China

Shaobing , also called huoshao, is a type of baked, unleavened, layered flatbread in northern Chinese cuisine. Shaobing can be made with or without stuffing, and with or without sesame on top. Shaobing contains a variety of stuffings that can be grouped into two main flavors: savory or sweet. Some common stuffings include red bean paste, black sesame paste, stir-fried mung beans with egg and tofu, braised beef, smoked meat, or beef or pork with spices. Shaobing is not very well known in southern China,[citation needed] unlike other northern dishes like mantou, baozi, and youtiao. Most Shaobing are popular in the northern part of China. Different types of shaobing are often associated with certain cities and towns. Shaobing is a common breakfast item. Filled shaobing are usually eaten with soy milk and tea, while unfilled ones are usually eaten with steamed eggs or a breakfast meat dish. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, shaobing are served with hot pot (huǒguō) in winter or soy milk.

Wotou or wowotou, also called Chinese cornbread, is a type of steamed bread made from cornmeal in Northern China. "Wotou" literally translates to "nest thing", since the wotou resembles a bird's nest with its hollow cone shape. Wōtóu is in the shape of a hollow cone. It was a cheap food for poor people, but a legend grew on how it became a dish served in the Imperial Kitchens. The legend says that during Empress Dowager Cixi's flight to Xi'an from the Battle of Peking when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China in the Boxer Rebellion, Cixi received a bunch of corn buns to satiate her hunger. After her return to Beijing, she ordered the Imperial cooks to make it again for her, and the chef used more refined ingredients to create the golden colored wotou bun, which became one of the Imperial dishes. The full name of the bun was 宮廷小窩頭 (gōngtíng xiǎo wōtóu - the "Royal Wotou"). It has been transformed into a popular food from its previous poor status.

Large griddle-fried meat pies or dumplings filled with minced pork, vegetables