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While you will certainly find cuisine from right across the planet on offer in Beijing, you really should spend some of your dining time sampling the local specialties. Two of the local favourites which you shouldn’t miss are Beijing Duck (also known as Peking Duck) and Hot Pot. The former is widely regarded as the best the city has to offer when it comes to local cuisine although some people find it a little too greasy. Nevertheless, you will find it on the menu in all traditional restaurants as well as many of the not so authentic and if you do like duck, then don’t leave without trying it.
Hotpot also makes an appearance on most menus and comes in two varieties – Mongolian and Sichaun. The Mongolian version is quite mild and is usually made from seafood and a mixture of vegetables. Sichauan, on the other hand, is quite spicy and made from mutton which is cooked in a copper pot with a type of soup. The meat only takes seconds to cook and is then dipped into a special sesame butter sauce. For the vegetarians among you, however, the good news is that this hotpot can also be made from a variety of ingredients including tofu, cabbage, bean sprouts and noodles.
Another big favourite among the Chinese are their snacks and the capital alone has over 250 different types of traditional snack foods. Combing different flavours and cooking methods which have made their way into the country over the centuries, they really are a bit of a culinary adventure and restaurants serving them can be found all over the city making it even more exciting.
Finally, when you are eating out you will notice distinctive differences between the eating habits of the locals and those of westerners. The most obvious is probably the fact that instead of each person having their own plate, all the food is placed in the centre of the table so everyone can sample a little of everything. If you are been treated to dinner, be prepared to leave some behind because you’ll never possibly be able to eat everything that is put in front of you. Basically, when it comes to table manners what the locals do goes regardless of how strange it may seem to you.
Local Restaurants
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