饮食文化

Food Culture

北京饮食文化融合了宫廷菜的精致、地方菜的鲜活与民间小吃的烟火气，形成独具特色的“京味饮食”体系，既承载着历史传承，又体现着地域生活智慧。

Beijing's food culture integrates the delicacy of imperial cuisine, the freshness of local dishes, and the warmth of folk snacks, forming a unique "Beijing-style food" system that not only carries historical heritage but also reflects the wisdom of local life.

1. 核心饮食体系

1. Core Cuisine System

（1）宫廷菜与官府菜

（1）Imperial and Official Cuisine

曾为皇家及达官贵人专供，讲究“选料严苛、技法精湛、摆盘雅致”，注重食材本味与营养搭配。代表菜品如“葱烧海参”（Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions），以优质海参为主料，搭配葱段慢烧，咸鲜浓郁；“扒鸡丝翅”（Braised Chicken Shreds with Shark's Fin），工艺繁复，口感醇厚，是宫廷菜“精细”特质的典型体现。

Once exclusive to the royal family and nobles, it emphasizes "strict ingredient selection, exquisite techniques, and elegant plating," focusing on the original flavor of ingredients and nutritional matching. Representative dishes include "Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions"—using high-quality sea cucumbers as the main ingredient, braised slowly with scallion sections, offering a rich savory taste—and "Braised Chicken Shreds with Shark's Fin," which features complex craftsmanship and a mellow taste, typical of the "delicacy" of imperial cuisine.

（2）京味家常菜

（2）Beijing-Style Home-Cooked Dishes

贴近百姓生活，做法朴实却滋味地道，注重“家常感与实用性”。如“炒合菜”（Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables），将豆芽、韭菜、粉丝、鸡蛋等简单食材同炒，鲜香爽口，是老北京餐桌上常见的应季菜；“醋溜白菜”（Vinegar-Flavored Chinese Cabbage），以白菜为主料，用醋提味，酸甜解腻，体现家常菜“低成本、高适口性”的特点。

Close to people's daily life, it features simple cooking methods yet authentic flavors, focusing on "homeliness and practicality." For example, "Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables"—stir-frying simple ingredients like bean sprouts, chives, vermicelli, and eggs together, fresh and refreshing—is a common seasonal dish on old Beijing's dining tables. "Vinegar-Flavored Chinese Cabbage," using Chinese cabbage as the main ingredient and vinegar for flavoring, is sweet, sour, and refreshing, reflecting the characteristics of home-cooked dishes: "low cost and high palatability."

（3）传统民间小吃

（3）Traditional Folk Snacks

是京味饮食的“活化石”，多为街头巷尾的经典美味，承载着老北京的生活记忆。除此前提及的豆汁儿焦圈、炸酱面外，还有“驴打滚”（Lv Da Gun / Glutinous Rice Roll with Red Bean Paste）——以糯米粉制作外皮，包裹红豆沙，滚上黄豆面，软糯香甜；“艾窝窝”（Ai Wo Wo / Glutinous Rice Cake with Sweet Filling）——用艾草汁和糯米制成皮，内包芝麻、核桃等馅料，清香软糯，是节庆时节的特色小吃。

As the "living fossil" of Beijing-style food, most are classic delicacies from streets and alleys, carrying the life memories of old Beijing. In addition to the previously mentioned Douzhi'er with Jiaoquan and Zhajiang Mian, there is also "Lv Da Gun (Glutinous Rice Roll with Red Bean Paste)"—made with glutinous rice flour for the outer layer, wrapped with red bean paste, and rolled in soybean flour, soft, glutinous, and sweet; "Ai Wo Wo (Glutinous Rice Cake with Sweet Filling)"—made with mugwort juice and glutinous rice for the skin, filled with sesame seeds, walnuts, and other fillings, fragrant and soft, a characteristic snack during festivals.

2. 饮食文化特色

2. Characteristics of Food Culture

（1）“包容性”显著

（1）Strong "Inclusiveness"

北京作为历史古都与交通枢纽，吸纳了各地饮食精华：如从山东菜借鉴“爆、炒”技法，丰富京菜烹饪方式；从清真饮食中吸收“涮、烤”特色，衍生出涮羊肉等经典菜品；甚至受西餐影响，出现“京味炸猪排”等融合菜式，体现“海纳百川”的饮食格局。

As an ancient capital and transportation hub, Beijing has absorbed the essence of food from all over the country: it learned the "quick-frying and stir-frying" techniques from Shandong cuisine to enrich the cooking methods of Beijing cuisine; absorbed the "hot pot and roasting" characteristics from halal food, leading to classic dishes like Instant-Boiled Mutton; and even influenced by Western food, developed fusion dishes such as "Beijing-style fried pork chops," reflecting the "inclusive" pattern of food culture.

（2）“节气与饮食”结合

（2）Integration of "Solar Terms and Food"

老北京饮食讲究顺应季节变化：立春吃“春饼”（Spring Pancakes），卷食豆芽、韭菜等“时鲜”，寓意“咬春”；冬至吃“饺子”（Dumplings），民间有“冬至不端饺子碗，冻掉耳朵没人管”的俗语；立秋吃“贴秋膘”（Putting on Autumn Fat），多吃肉类补充能量，应对秋冬寒冷，体现饮食与自然节律的紧密关联。

Old Beijing's food culture emphasizes adapting to seasonal changes: on the Beginning of Spring, people eat "Spring Pancakes," rolled with seasonal ingredients like bean sprouts and chives, implying "biting the spring"; on the Winter Solstice, people eat "Dumplings," with a folk saying "If you don't eat dumplings on Winter Solstice, your ears will freeze off"; on the Beginning of Autumn, people "put on autumn fat"—eating more meat to replenish energy for the cold autumn and winter, reflecting the close connection between food and natural rhythms.

（3）“礼仪与氛围”并重

（3）Equal Emphasis on "Etiquette and Atmosphere"

无论是家庭聚餐还是宴请宾客，北京饮食都注重礼仪：如宴席上“主位、客位”的划分，上菜时“先冷后热、先荤后素”的顺序；同时讲究“饮食氛围”，比如吃涮羊肉时围炉而坐，边煮边聊，体现“热闹团圆”的社交属性；喝豆汁儿时配焦圈，需在街头小摊或老字号店铺享用，感受“市井烟火气”，让饮食成为体验生活方式的载体。

Whether it's a family dinner or a banquet for guests, Beijing's food culture emphasizes etiquette: such as the division of "host seats and guest seats" at banquets, and the order of serving dishes "cold first, then hot; meat first, then vegetarian"; it also pays attention to "dining atmosphere"—for example, sitting around a stove while eating Instant-Boiled Mutton, cooking and chatting, reflecting the social attribute of "lively reunion"; when drinking Douzhi'er with Jiaoquan, people usually enjoy it at street stalls or time-honored shops to feel the "vitality of the market," making food a carrier for experiencing the lifestyle.