Beijing Food Guide
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City Name:Beijing ("Northern Capital", Chinese: 北京, Pinyin: beijing)
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Population :Municipality 17,430,000 , Metro: 11,940,000
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Location :Situated at 40° north latitude and 116° east longitude. It is 43m above sea level and 183km from the sea.
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Overview:As the center of 1000 years of imperial rule, Beijing was built to express the power of the emperor. Long, straight boulevards and avenues are crisscrossed by a network of lanes. Beijing features a vast number of "must-see" attractions.
Beijing was the gathering place of the literati and officials, and many skilled chefs followed these people to Beijing. These chefs brought the different cuisines tot eh capital and greatly enriched the flavors of Beijing cuisine. The Shandong, Huai-Yang, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang cuisines all strongly influenced Beijing cuisine. Because Shandong was near Beijing, people migrated from there to Beijing to earn their living, and many worked in the catering trade. Shandong cuisine was similar to Beijing cuisine, so its dishes were quickly accepted The Shandong people almost had a monopoly on the Beijing catering trade during the Qing Dynasty.
People from Shandong opened many famous Beijing restaurants, including the Tongfengtang, Fushoutang, Huifengtang, Guangheju, and Tongheju. The quick-frying techniques of the Shandong cuisine and its use of onions greatly influenced Beijing cuisine. For example, quick-fried mutton, a popular, common dish, is a typical Beijing dish that uses the cooking skills and flavoring methods of the Shandong cuisine. Now, people in Beijing quickly fry onions in hot oil before stir-frying the dish because of the influence of the Shandong cuisine.
