Peking Duck, or Peking Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the Yuan Dynasty, now considered one of China's national foods.The dish is prized for the thin, crispy skin with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks are bred specially for the dish, which after 65 days are slaughtered and seasoned before it is roasted in a closed oven or a hung oven. The meat is eaten with pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce. A variant of the dish known as crispy aromatic duck has been created by the Chinese community in the United Kingdom. The two most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude (全聚德) and Bianyifang (便宜坊), two centuries old establishments which have become household names.

Tuck wing tips under back of duck. Brush with method butter. Place breast side down on trivet in 2-quart oblong glass baking dish. Set aside.

The author lost another 3 pounds on the second day of her water fast - and she started to notice roast ducks and broiled steaks mentioned in books or TV shows - but she's still holding strong, and is fully committed to finding out if fasting will reduce the sugar cravings that are so strong during the holidays.

Singapore chilli crab! - is there a dish in the whole world better than this? Yes, actually there are two, though only by a whisker (so to speak); fresh fried Mackerel in kerala and Beijing Roast Duck are virtuosos beyond compare.

When shopping keep in mind how much you spend on that Christmas ham, roast, turkey, lamb or duck. Actually, if you choose the cut of meat wisely, you can add an extra touch to the dinner table, with a nice platter of crackers and cheese or a tasty bottle of wine with what you save.

China Quanjude started out as a roast duck stall in 1864 and now has 61 franchised restaurants - five of them outside China. They hope to make about $50 million from the IPO.