Editor’s Note: In this series, we present the first part of a list of some of the capital’s better known dishes along with places to try them out. Click here for the previous post.
Erguotou (二锅头): You’ve seen these little green bottles everywhere. Maybe you’ve even imbibed (and perhaps, suffered the consequences). What can be said for Beijing’s official baijiu (白酒, made from sorghum and 56 proof) is that you ought to try it, at least once, if not simply to know why you’ll never want to drink it again.
Fuling Jiabing (茯苓夹饼): This Beijing specialty (pictured above) is made from a batter of flour, poria (a type of fungus, also known as "tuckahoe"), honey and sweet osmanthus that is fried into paper-thin crispy wafers and filled with a "mixture of honey, granulated sugar, confect, pinecones and crushed kernels." It was originally concocted as a medicinal food for the Empress Dowager Cixi and is now sold in most specialty snack shops.
Gezihe (饹馇盒): Another typical Hui (Muslim) snack, Gezihe are made from pumpkin, carrot, radish, eggplant or potato-based starch that is then mixed with pepper, salt, soy sauce and green onion and fried into crispy little bits that resemble chopped up sections of youtiao (fried dough sticks) and served wrapped in bing (pancakes) or as a standalone snack that is often dipped in pepper-salt.
Hutazi (糊塌子): Made from zucchini (or cucumber), flour and salt, these pancakes are eaten with vinegar and is a typical lao Beijing homestyle dish. You can find recipes (in Chinese) here and here.
Stay tuned for the next installment, I to L soon. View the first installment, A to D, here.
