At the table
Eat the cut pieces with their crisp skin, separating the meat from the bones. Add the accompanying dip a little at a time.
Pieces may contain bones. Sweet wheat sauce contains wheat, and other dips may contain soy or chili; check the sauces if you have dietary restrictions.
Honey glazing, seasoning and dips vary. The plain duck is usually mild; the dip can change its sweetness, saltiness or chili heat.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Spiced salt or sweet sauce can be served alongside.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory; dip-dependent sweetness.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Crisp skin and tender meat.
- How it’s made
- Roast in an enclosed stove.
Spiced salt or sweet sauce can be served alongside.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Yunnan.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有宜良烤鸭吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Yiliang’s enclosed-oven roast duck
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
In Yiliang, roast duck is a dish for the table and a take-home addition to a meal. Traditional cooks heat an enclosed earthen oven with bundles of dry pine needles, then roast with the stored heat rather than direct flame. A honey coating helps color the skin. The attraction is the contrast between crisp skin and tender meat, served in pieces with spiced salt or a sweet dip. Try a piece plain before adding a little dip.