CNN
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China has an incredibly diverse food scene, with a huge variety of flavors and dishes to explore. It’s impossible to create a definitive list of the best Chinese dishes, but here are some must-try options that will give you a well-rounded culinary experience.
Below are some of the dishes you should try when in China. We’ve included both the English and Chinese names for reference.
Peking duck is a famous Chinese specialty that has been enjoyed for centuries. It consists of crispy duck skin, juicy meat, radish, cucumber, scallion, and sweet bean sauce wrapped in a thin pancake. It is a must-try dish that has captivated stomachs for generations.
The recipe for Peking duck originated in Nanjing, where roasted duck was enjoyed more than 1,500 years ago. When the capital moved to Beijing in the 1400s, the dish and its cooking techniques were brought along. It was in Beijing that the current preparation method, with the duck wrapped in a thin pancake, was invented and popularized.