Known as "No.1 delicacy on earth," Beijing Roast Duck is a representative of Beijing delicacies - the dish is mostly prized for the thin, crispy skin, though the meat is fat, it is tender and tasty, not greasy.

The history of the Beijing Duck can be traced as far back as the Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368). By the time of the early 15th century, it had become one of the favorite dishes of the imperial Ming family.

The two most famous restaurants in Beijing serving this specialty are Quanjude and Pianyifang, where you will not only taste the mouth-watering Beijing Roast Duck, but also experience charms of dining culture. Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant is known for grilled ducks, and Pianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant for braised ducks. Both of them are old restaurants with a history of 100 years.

Also known as Mongolian Hot-pot, the instant-boiled mutton is fresh, tender and delicious, not greasy at all. The way of preparing it may be interesting for you: the cooking pot is often sunk into the table or above the table and fueled, frozen mutton is cut into deli-thin slices for you to load individually into the hot cooking broth by chopsticks, and in 15 to 30 seconds, they are ready to serve. Other kinds of meat and vegetables can be cooked this way as well.

Instant-boiled Mutton has been the most favorite food for local residents during cold winter and even hot summer. You can visit the reputed chain restaurants of Dong Lai Shun, Xiao Fei Yang to have a try.

Zhajiang mian is a northern Chinese dish consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with a mixture of stir-fried ground pork and cucumber with fermented soybean paste. Nicknamed as "Chinese spaghetti", Zhajiang mian has been popular throughout the country.

Also called Huoshao, Shaobing is a baked, layered flat bread with sesame on top, they are usually made in two flavors: salty or sweet. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, Shaobing are served with hot pot in winter. Shaobing is also used to sandwich a deep-fried dough stick, which is usually eaten with hot soybean milk for breakfast and is highly popular in northern China.