Peking duck (北京烤鸭, Beijing Kao Ya) is China's most internationally famous dish — a whole duck air-dried for 24-48 hours with a maltose and water skin-tightening lacquer, then roasted in a hung, closed wood-fired oven until the skin is mahogany-red, crackling crisp, and paper-thin over an aromatic, well-rendered fat layer. The duck is carved table-side, and the crispy skin is the centrepiece — traditionally eaten wrapped in thin wheat pancakes (春饼, chun bing) with julienned scallion, cucumber, and a smear of sweet bean paste (tian mian jiang). The meat of the duck is typically served in a separate course — stir-fried or in lettuce cups. The bones become the basis for a rich duck soup that concludes the meal.
The duck: Specifically a Pekin duck (Peking white duck — mus muscovy variant, bred for the dish for over 600 years). The duck is slaughtered, cleaned, and then air is pumped between the skin and body (using a bicycle pump or air compressor at the neck cavity) — this separates the skin from the fat and body, which allows the skin to dry and crisp separately from the body during roasting. The lacquer: The separated skin is painted with a lacquer of maltose (麦芽糖, mai ya tang) dissolved in hot water (3 tbsp maltose to 100ml water). The maltose lacquer provides the deep mahogany colour and creates a very thin, sugar-rich surface that crisps and caramelizes during roasting. Multiple coats are applied as the duck air-dries. Air-drying: 24-48 hours in a cool, well-ventilated environment. The skin must be completely dry and slightly taut to the touch before roasting. In professional Peking duck restaurants, the ducks are hung in refrigerated rooms with fans. The roasting: Hung in a wood-fired oven (jujube or peach wood is traditionally used) at approximately 250-280C for 45-65 minutes. The duck rotates slowly in the heat.
Insufficient air-drying: Any moisture on the skin when it enters the oven produces steam and prevents the skin from crisping. The minimum is 24 hours; 48 is ideal. Skipping the air-pumping step: Without separating the skin from the body, the skin remains in contact with the body fat and steams rather than crisps.
Fuchsia Dunlop, Invitation to a Banquet (2023); Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking (2009)