November 8th is the Beginning of Winter. Recently, the authentic local cuisine of the time-honored brands have been particularly enticing. National-level intangible cultural heritage barbecue dishes such as "Kao Rou Wan" and "Kao Rou Ji" have attracted many customers.

"On the day of the Beginning of Winter, we received orders for more than 10 servings of 'Wu Chi Zi Kao (Home Barbecue)' for dinner alone," said Lu Jianwei, manager of Kao Rou Ji. "Many customers have been booking the intangible cultural heritage experience project of 'Wu Chi Zi Kao (Home Barbecue)' since September."

It is estimated that on the day of the Beginning of Winter, the total sales of national-level intangible cultural heritage barbecue dishes at Kao Rou Ji and Kao Rou Wan will reach 1000 kilograms, which is comparable to the sales during the Spring Festival holiday season.

There are many traditional winter foods in Beijing's time-honored restaurants. Qu Yuan Restaurant's Fish head cooked with tea oil and chopped pepper is perfect for the tradition of "Eating Fish Head" on the Beginning of Winter, and the number of reservations is three to four times higher than usual. Kao Rou Ji uses natural fruits and vegetables to decorate their dumplings and continues to focus on handmade colorful dumplings. At Sha Guo Ju, the "Yuanmeng Dumplings" receive dozens of orders every day.

"The 'Yuanmeng Dumplings' are only available on days like the Beginning of Winter. My elderly relatives love the taste, so I came to make a reservation," said Ms. Li, who was making a reservation for the dumplings at Sha Guo Ju's front desk. "The meaning is also good, so we come to buy them every year on the Beginning of Winter and the fifth day of the fifth lunar month."

It is understood that Sha Guo Ju's "Yuanmeng Dumplings" are carefully prepared by Chinese culinary master and intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Sha Guo Ju, Master Liu Dali, who has adjusted the recipe until it is suitable for the dumpling filling.

In addition to "Yuanmeng Dumplings", Sha Guo Ju's other dishes are also popular, and it is expected that the sales of dine-in and takeout on the Beginning of Winter will be two to three times higher than usual.

As the weather gets colder, dumplings, fish heads, and barbecue dishes are also making their appearance. The famous old Beijing hot pot restaurant, You Yi Shun, has also prepared for the Beginning of Winter. According to the restaurant manager, they have arranged a team of chefs to hand-cut fresh lamb and maintain the supply. Yang Rou Pao Mo (Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup) and lamb skewers from the famous Lao Xi'an restaurantare expected to be the star of the Beginning of Winter, with sales expected to be about three times higher than usual.

Bai Musha, manager of Lao Xi'an Fan Zhuang, said, "Every year on the Beginning of Winter, we arrange for the purchase of ingredients in advance. We also put in multiple times the amount of lamb bones and meat in the old soup used to cook Pao Mo, so that customers can taste the authentic flavor."