Beijing

Běijīng kǎoyā

Duck air-dried, glazed with maltose and roasted either hung over fruitwood flames or in a sealed oven, then carved at the table into skin and meat slices. Eaten rolled in thin wheat pancakes with sweet fermented bean sauce, spring onion and cucumber.

Tastes like: Rich and faintly sweet, crisp fatty skin against savoury-sweet sauce and sharp raw onion

Not on the menu but in it: The sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang) is wheat-fermented and soy-adjacent; many houses brush the duck with a maltose-and-vinegar wash. Leftover carcass is normally made into a milky duck-bone soup brought out at the end of the meal, not a separate order.

Might not be for you: Some restaurants serve the crispest skin dipped in plain white sugar, which surprises people; a whole carved duck includes plenty of visible fat, and the head is sometimes split and presented as a courtesy.

Where: Old-line duck houses around Qianmen and Wangfujing, or neighbourhood branches of the big duck chains in Dongcheng and Chaoyang

zhájiàngmiàn

Thick hand-pulled wheat noodles topped with a dark, salty sauce of fermented yellow soybean paste slow-fried with diced pork belly, plus a ring of raw shredded vegetables you mix in yourself.

Tastes like: Deeply salty and savoury, slightly oily, cut by crunchy raw cucumber and radish

Not on the menu but in it: The sauce is fried in rendered pork fat with diced pork belly as standard; there is no meat-free default. Garlic cloves are served whole on the side to be eaten raw between mouthfuls.

Might not be for you: The sauce is much saltier than most Western palates expect — it is a condiment, not a pasta sauce, and the portion given is meant to be stretched across all the noodles.

Where: Hutong noodle shops in Dongcheng and around the Drum Tower; large no-frills halls with shouted greetings when you enter

shuàn yángròu

Paper-thin slices of lamb swished for seconds in a plain simmering broth in a charcoal-fired brass chimney pot, then dipped in a sesame-paste sauce. The Beijing version keeps the broth clear and unspiced.

Tastes like: Clean and mild in the pot; the character comes from the nutty, salty sesame dip with chive flower and fermented bean curd

Not on the menu but in it: The standard dipping sauce contains sesame paste plus fermented bean curd and chive-flower paste, and many shops add shrimp paste or dried shrimp to the mix — a genuine problem for shellfish allergies and often not mentioned. Some houses now offer a lamb-bone or mutton-fat broth rather than plain water.

Might not be for you: Strong mutton aroma that non-mutton-eaters find assertive; offal plates (tripe, lamb brain) sit on the same menu.

Where: Old Muslim-run copper-pot houses in Niujie and Xicheng, and around Shichahai in winter

chǎogān

Despite the name nothing is stir-fried: pork liver and chopped large intestine are simmered into a thick, glossy, garlic-heavy starch gravy and served in a small bowl, traditionally drunk from the rim without a spoon.

Tastes like: Thick, gluey, intensely garlicky and offally

Not on the menu but in it: Pork liver and intestine are the whole dish; the gravy is thickened with starch and built on pork broth. Usually eaten with a side of steamed pork buns.

Might not be for you: Pure offal, with a slippery cornstarch texture and an unmistakable intestine smell. This is the Beijing breakfast most visitors bounce off.

Where: Early-morning breakfast shops in Qianmen and the Dongcheng hutongs; sold out by mid-morning

bàodǔ

Different cuts of beef or lamb stomach blanched in boiling water for a precisely timed few seconds, then dipped in sesame sauce. Shops list each cut separately because every part has a different bite.

Tastes like: Mild in itself; the flavour is all in the sesame-and-fermented-bean-curd dip

Not on the menu but in it: The dip frequently includes shrimp paste or dried shrimp alongside sesame paste and fermented bean curd.

Might not be for you: Rubbery, squeaky, crunchy tripe texture is the entire point of the dish; it does not soften.

Where: Specialist bao du shops in Xicheng (Ande Road area) and around Niujie

lǔzhǔ huǒshāo

A bowl of long-simmered pork intestine, lung and fried tofu puffs with quartered dense flatbread soaking in the master stock, topped with chilli oil, vinegar and coriander.

Tastes like: Heavy, salty, oily, strongly offally with sharp vinegar

Not on the menu but in it: Pork lung and intestine; the master stock has been running for years and is pork-based throughout. Fermented bean curd is often stirred in.

Might not be for you: Lung and intestine with a spongy texture, plus bread deliberately soaked to softness. Strong coriander as standard — say 'bu yao xiangcai' if you dislike it.

Where: Late-night and lunchtime counters in the southern hutongs of Dongcheng and Xicheng

dòuzhī

The sour grey liquid left over from making mung bean starch noodles, drunk warm at breakfast with a ring-shaped deep-fried dough twist and shredded pickles.

Tastes like: Sour, slightly funky, thin and savoury — nothing like sweet soy milk

Not on the menu but in it: The drink itself is plant-based; the jiaoquan fried ring beside it is usually fried in shared oil.

Might not be for you: A genuinely fermented, cheesy-sour smell that divides even Beijingers. Order a small bowl first.

Where: Old snack halls such as the Huguosi snack street and traditional breakfast shops

wāndòuhuáng

A pale yellow set block of sweetened, sieved yellow pea purée, chilled and cut into squares. A former imperial court snack now sold in every old snack shop.

Tastes like: Lightly sweet, cool, smooth and slightly grainy

Where: Huguosi and Niujie snack shops, and the pastry counters of old-brand confectioners

lǘdǎgǔn

A sheet of steamed glutinous rice spread with sweet red bean paste, rolled up and dusted heavily in toasted soybean flour so it looks like a donkey rolling in dust.

Tastes like: Mildly sweet, nutty and toasty, very chewy

Not on the menu but in it: The dusting is roasted soy flour; some versions brush the roll with osmanthus syrup or a little lard.

Might not be for you: Extremely sticky, gluey mochi texture.

Where: Old snack shops and street stalls near the Drum Tower and Huguosi

jiǎozi

Hand-wrapped boiled dumplings, the northern staple; Beijing shops lean on pork with chives, pork with fennel, or lamb with spring onion.

Tastes like: Savoury and juicy, eaten with black vinegar, raw garlic and a little chilli oil

Not on the menu but in it: Fillings are usually bound with lard or sesame oil and sometimes a little shrimp; 'vegetable' fillings commonly still contain dried shrimp or egg.

Where: Dumpling houses all over Dongcheng and Xicheng; some famous shops sell a dozen fillings by the liang (weight)

shāobǐng jiā ròu

A layered, sesame-crusted baked flatbread split open and stuffed with sliced braised beef or lamb — the halal Beijing counterpart to a sandwich.

Tastes like: Toasty sesame crust, salty spiced meat, dry rather than saucy

Not on the menu but in it: At halal shops the meat is beef or lamb; at non-halal shops the same bread may be filled with braised pork, so check which kind of shop you are in.

Where: Niujie Muslim quarter and halal canteens across Xicheng

guōtiē / miànchá

Pan-fried crescent dumplings with a crisp base, often eaten with miancha — a thick millet gruel swirled with sesame paste and sprinkled with salt and pepper, traditionally sipped from the bowl's edge.

Tastes like: Dumplings savoury and crisp; the gruel is thick, nutty-salty and unsweetened

Not on the menu but in it: Miancha itself is grain-and-sesame based, but some shops thin it with bone broth; pot-stickers are pork by default.

Might not be for you: A savoury, salty porridge at breakfast surprises visitors expecting something sweet.

Where: Traditional snack halls and the Huguosi snack street