Image via NBC News
China's ongoing love affair with Peking duck has spawned a museum installation that is dedicated to the fowl feast.
NBC News' Ian Williams reports on Quanjude restaurant, which is serving up more than just food, because it has carved out a piece of its Beijing restaurant to offer up some history.
According to the report, the restaurant, of which there are now "about 100 branches worldwide," is celebrating its 150th birthday by opening an homage to its greatest item.
Here is a report that serves up a heaping portion of the intriguing as well as the delicious:
It's rather odd to have a museum dedicated to a food item, as if McDonald's displayed a Chicken McNugget under glass case at its locations. In this case, it makes tremendous sense.
The duck, while presented with succulent meat and crisp skin, is also a historic bird for the country. Williams writes, "Roast duck - or Peking Duck, as it's often known - has been served in Beijing for around 600 years, according to Liu. First served by palace chefs during the Ming dynasty, it has a royal pedigree."
In the case of the Quanjude brand, 200 million of the dish, an estimate, have been sold to customers over the years. A guide relayed to Williams that upwards of 2,000 ducks might be served in a single day, so avert the eyes from any waddling, feathered friends that might be nearby.
As for the museum, it is reportedly 1,200 square yards and features displays that depict preparation as well as pictures of world leaders enjoying the dish, so you can see what important people look like when they are stuffing their respective faces.
As for creating a home edition of the place, good luck. Williams spoke to chef Yu Fenggang who helms the seven-story restaurant. The chef was kind enough to offer that heat is important in the cooking, which should help those of you who just discovered fire. As for more specifics, the chef offered, "That is confidential. They are all secrets. We have our rules. I cannot tell you all the things."
That's just fine, because there is simple no way to replicate a process that is hundreds of years in the making. For those fortunate enough, there is a Beijing restaurant that promises to fill the mind and the belly with the good stuff.
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