Peking Duck Is Evolving. This Is How It’s Made Now. (S2, E7)

Written and hosted by Christopher St. Cavish. Filmed and edited by Graeme Kennedy (‪@GraemeDYK‬). With special thanks to Sheng Yong Xing, Li Weihang and the Omnivore’s Table. Peking duck has never been a fixed thing. From the moment it became a dish, it has been changing along with technology, labor and people’s tastes. In this episode, I go inside Sheng Yong Xing, one of Beijing’s most respected roast duck kitchens, to see how Peking duck is actually made now. Some things are still traditional. Others have changed. Air pumps are gone, freezers are in, ovens have evolved, duck breeding has industrialized. The goal for many restaurants now is crispness without greasiness. The 2008 Olympics have sped up the process, but Peking duck has been evolving for decades or longer.