How Do Beijing People Tieqiubiao(贴秋膘)

2017-09-08

In Beijing, various eateries offering rich autumn specialties will be gearing up, after a summer of sparse patronage.

The famous Beijing roast duck restaurants will see a boom, as well as restaurants offering whole roast lamb. Finally, with appetites returning, diners are more prepared to feast,

In the hutong alleys, little pop-up shops offering cumin-crusted Xinjiang meat skewers will make their presence felt, advertising their wares with the unmistakable aroma of roasting spices that smell like musky armpits.

They will normally set up their barbecue stations with little wooden tables and stools al fresco, after sundown, catering to the more relaxed dinner and supper crowd.

For Beijing folks of a certain vintage, nothing says tieqiubiao better than a soy-braised pork hock from the old Beijing stores like Tianfuhao, also famous for their pressed head cheeses, hearty meat sausages, jellied pig skin cakes, hams with pine nuts, braised whole livers, braised chickens and cordyceps duck.

Of course, there will also be the regular jiaozi or dumplings eaten at home, with subtle adjustments to the meat and vegetable ratio. More fatty mince will be paired with shredded zucchini, pumpkins, carrots and other seasonal root crops for heartier fillings.

In autumn, the Inner Mongolian lamb from the Great Green Mountain will also find its way to the Forbidden City, just in time for the most famous autumnal feast of all times - the mutton hot pot.

Well-marbled lamb will be shaved into pink and white curls and dipped into the copper pots with their fiery funnels full of coal. As the meat cooks, it will be picked up and then dipped into fermented red beancurd flavored with sesame paste and pickled chive flowers. This is the taste of old Beijing.

Another very popular mutton hotpot during autumn and winter is lamb shanks braised in a thick, heavily seasoned broth which Beijingers call yangxiezi, or "scorpion bones".

Do not worry, there are no exotic insects in the dish, and the name simply describes the shape of the lamb shanks. Yangxiezi used to be a cheap dish popular only among menial workers, but now it is enjoyed by everyone.

In autumn, everyone needs to beef up on hearty food.

China Daily