The History of The Peking Roast Duck

The history of the Peking roast duck can be traced back to as early as the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) when it was listed among the imperial dishes in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages, written in 1330 by Hu Sihui, an inspector of the imperial kitchen. Details regarding the cooking process were also described in this early cookbook.
The famous Peking Roast Duck is the best way to sample the tantalizing Chinese cuisine and also to understand the culture, customs and the vivid history of Beijing and China.

The Peking Roast Duck can be compared to the European traditional ware of roast goose and it is believed that the recipe originated from the culture brought to the East by explorers such as Marco Polo- with which the tradition of offering roasted poultry to one's guests began way back during the Yuan Dynasty. Other facts lead us through a different history as records indicate the actually recipe was used in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 – 589) and that it was a popular recipe in Jinling, now known as Nanjing. And it is believed that the as the Yuan Dynasty moved their main city to Beijing the recipe followed to become a popular dish in the capital, with the added flavours of the city itself.
The ideal bird roasted in this manner features a delectable shining reddish coat – a crispy outer skin and tender textures inside. And most of the eateries in town offer an All Duck Banquet, the mains being the roast duck and side dishes being complimenting accompaniments made with duck stock – a complete meal.
The original recipe, after being transformed in to the imperial delicacy, required for a special breed of bird. With the main ingredient being the White Beijing duck new methods of preparation were also introduced. Today, the established method of preparation involves roasting of the bird, which is primed by essentially cleaning and plucking, filing the body cavity with water, air drying and brushing the skin with sugar, in a large oven. The roasting is done using smokeless hardwood fuel and the poultry is frequently turned to ensure even roasting.

Do You Know These Benefits Of Red Wine

Do you enjoy drinking a glass of wine each evening to wind down after a long day of work? Do you sometimes feel guilty about it or wonder if you could be harming your health in some way? Well, no fear, research shows that drinking a glass of red wine every day has some pretty amazing benefits associated with it. The benefits of red wine include better cardiovascular health, immune system maintenance, reduced stress, and cancer prevention. The key is to drink it in moderation rather than to excess, which will lead to health issues rather than benefits.

Cardiovascular health: Red wine contains a substance called resveratrol, derived from the skin of the grapes during the fermentation process. Research has shown that resveratrol provides benefits to the cardiovascular system by increasing the levels of HDL or good cholesterol. In fact, new research points to resveratrol as offering life extension benefits by preventing many age related diseases. This substance in red wine is thought to be the reason why the French, despite their diet high in saturated fat and wine, have a very low rate of diseases of age, including heart disease. In order to get the full benefit of resveratrol, the wine should be sipped slowly to enhance absorption in the mouth.

Stress reduction: No one can argue that a glass of wine, sipped slowly, provides almost instant relaxtion and because the benefits of stress reduction on overall health are immense, drinking red wine can be beneficial to health if you drink in moderation.

Immune system health: Research showed that both red and white wine have anti-bacterial properties against streptococcus. Red wine is also the only alcoholic beverage that doesn’t suppress the immune system.

Cancer prevention: According to The National Cancer Institute, the very same substance in red wine, resveratrol, that provides heart health protection also helps prevent cancer. Although the research is in early stages, they initially found that resveratrol prevents tumor formation in animals. In addition, research published in the October 2011 issue of the FASEB Journal found that the magical substance in red wine, resveratrol, actually stopped breast cancer cells from growing.