Mandarin cuisine refers to cooking style in Beijing, China. It is known as jing1 cai4 (京菜) among Chinese.
Since Beijing has been the Chinese capital city for centuries, its cuisine was influenced by people from all over China. The Emperor's Kitchen was a term referring to the cooking places inside of the Forbidden City of Beijing where thousands of cooks from the different parts of China showed their best cooking skills to please royal families and officials. Therefore, it is at times rather difficult to tell determine the actual origin of a dish as the term "Mandarin" is generalized and refers not only to Beijing, but other provinces as well.
Some famous Mandarin dishes:
- Peking Duck (北京烤鸭)
- Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣汤)
- Four Seasons Stringbean (四季豆)
- Mutton Hotpot (涮羊肉)
- Sweetened Vinegar Spareribs (糖醋排骨)
- Glazed/Candied Chinese Yam (拔丝山药)
- Chinese fajitas (春饼卷菜 -- not to be confused with 春卷, which is fried)
