“No duck leaves Nanjing alive.”
Statistics show that the city consumes over 100 million ducks each year. Everyone has heard of Nanjing ducks, but they are too often misunderstood. Visitors and tourists to Confucius Temple feel obliged to order salted duck from the restaurants nearby. They would find the duck unpleasantly salty and no more authentic than what they have already had in their home cities. Nevertheless, they would bring back some vacuum-packed duck as souvenir gifts because they find nothing else worth buying in the vicinity.
That, of course, is not how the local people eat duck. Now, let me show you where to get the most authentic Nanjing duck, what kind of duck and cuts are recommended, and how to place your order.
The local language gives us a hint. Instead of saying “We buy some duck,” Nanjingers say “We get some duck chopped”. The word “chop” (“zan” in Nanjing dialect, “zhan”; 斩 in Mandarin) implies action and freshness, and most importantly, the particular places where the ducks are chopped to order. Those places are delicatessens that mainly, or even only, sell ducks. When you approach a duck deli during its busier hours, you will hear the cleaver quickly chopping against the wooden block, and that is the spirit of “zan” (perhaps onomatopoeia as in the English word “chop”), the sound of deliciousness to any duck lover.
In Nanjing, you will find duck delis on almost every street and around every residential community. People need them all the time. Don’t know what to eat for supper? Get some duck chopped. No time to cook? Get some duck chopped. Friends coming for dinner? Get some duck chopped. Visiting someone? Get some duck chopped and bring it over. Unlike Peking Duck, which is typically a treat in finer restaurants, the duck sold in Nanjing delis is an everyday essential.
Two major types of duck are sold apart from everything else; the renowned salted duck and the less renowned roast duck. Both are at around ¥23 per 500 grams these days, which is perhaps the lowest price you can get for any cooked meat. Much as people love salted duck, it may be argued that roast duck sells even better among the locals. “Try the roast duck.” That’s my advice to every out-of-town guest. You might think that roast duck is too commonly seen around the world, but roast duck made in authentic Nanjing style is indeed something unique about the city. The flavour exemplifies the local palate, and it is rarely found anywhere else.
Evidence suggests that the famous Peking Duck is a ramification of Nanjing roast duck as the Ming dynasty moved its capital from Nanjing to Beijing in 1421 CE, but the two types of roast duck have long become considerably different. Duck in the Nanjing style is roasted with steam. The cavity of the bird is filled with warm water while it cooks with the residual heat of a hot oven. This makes the meat tender and moist, while giving the skin a slight touch of crispiness. The water that cooks with the duck is then used to make the sauce, which is what really makes Nanjing roast duck unique. Each deli has their own sauce cooked with various herbs and seasonings. You will get a generous scoop of the warm sauce in a plastic bag. Pour it over the duck just before you eat, and feel the magic when the sauce meets duck fat.
Now that you have come to a duck deli and have decided to order both salted duck and roast duck, the only remaining question is how to get what you want. The importance of knowing how to order is often overlooked by people from out of town. They find themselves standing in front of the queue, wondering whether the duck is sold by piece or by weight. They might finally get a lower quarter (leg) with the help of an impatient local customer queuing behind them, but later feel cheated when they find half of a duck head hidden under the leg.
Those awkward moments can be easily avoided by following the steps below.
Start with how much you want. If a whole bird sounds too much to you, there are two more options: a half (for 2-4 people), or a quarter (for 1-2 people).
If you opt for a half, it will come with either a head cut into halves, or a neck chopped into 1-inch pieces. I usually choose head because I like the brain, but some other people prefer neck for its flavourful skin. You might not want any of them, which is fine, but they have to be weighed for the total price. Rest assured that wings and feet will not come with your order. They are sold separately at higher (yes, higher) prices.
If a quarter is all you need, the next step is to decide whether you would like the upper quarter or the lower quarter. Simply put, breast or leg. The default is that half a head or half a neck will be an add-on to the lower quarter, but not to the upper quarter. Some delis may have different rules, though.
You may then confidently place your order like a Nanjinger; “A lower quarter of roast duck, with neck, please”.
Of course, the above instructions are just the basics. Some canny frequenters would even ask for the “soft side” when they order a half or an upper quarter. The soft side refers to the side that does not include the spine, which allows one to pay for a lighter weight while enjoying no less meat. Considering the limited supply, their requests may be considered but not always guaranteed.
Finally, which of Nanjing’s delis would I recommend? Well, that is a tough question, and every Nanjinger has a different answer. A few locales are listed below, but this is by no means a complete list of the best or any sort of ranking. In fact, you will hardly find a bad duck deli in the city. The less satisfying ones will not survive the intense competition of the Nanjing duck market. Just keep in mind that most of them tend to sell out their daily supplies by 18:00. Only the early birds get their favourite cuts and add ons.
- Lujia Duck 陆家鸭子, 59 Shuiximen Da Jie 水西门大街 59号
- Daji Deli 达记卤菜店, 4 Guanyin’ge, Hongmiao 红庙观音阁 4号
- Zhuqiao Brothers 竺桥兄弟烤鸭店, 239 Zhujiang Lu 珠江路 239号
- Zhangyun Cured Duck 章云板鸭, 236 Shengzhou Lu 升州路 236号
