Nanjing Salted Duck
南京盐水鸭
Nanjing Salted Duck is the city's most celebrated culinary emblem: pale, silky birds that have been brined, air-dried and gently simmered until the skin turns translucent jade and the meat tastes of pure, subtle salt and the faint perfume of osmanthus.
南京盐水鸭是城市最负盛名的味觉标志：色白油润的鸭子，经腌制、风干、文火煮制，皮呈半透明碧玉，肉带清浅盐香与淡远桂香。
The process begins with "osmanthus ducks" — plump birds fattened on autumn grain when the city is thick with flower scent — which are rubbed with coarse salt and Sichuan pepper, then hung in cool river breezes for 24 hours to tighten the skin and concentrate the flesh.
选料以“桂花鸭”——秋季谷饲催肥、满城桂香时的壮鸭——以粗盐、花椒搓透，再挂于清凉河风中吹晾24小时，使皮紧肉实。
The ducks are then simmered in a cauldron of clear water, ginger and scallion — never boiling, just trembling at 85 °C for 40 minutes — so the fat renders slowly and the protein stays tender; when lifted, the birds are plunged into ice water, giving the skin its signature crisp, gelatinous bite .
随后入清水、姜葱锅中，85 °C微颤40分钟，不沸不腾，使脂肪缓释、肉质保持柔嫩；起锅即入冰水，令皮呈脆弹胶质感。
Sliced paper-thin, each piece shows three distinct layers: golden skin, pale fat, and rosy meat; the first taste is cool, clean salt, then a whisper of warm spice, then the lingering sweetness of duck that has never seen a drop of soy — proof that in Nanjing restraint is the highest form of culinary art.
片薄如纸，每片可见三层：金黄皮、浅白脂、玫红肉；入口先凉润清盐，再暖香料微吟，最后鸭甜回味——一滴酱油未沾，印证在南京，节制是烹饪的最高艺术。
Eaten at room temperature with a bowl of congee or a cup of Longjing, the duck carries 2,500 years of city history — from the Six Dynasties capital to the Republican capital — in every silky bite; buy half a bird at any shop and the vendor will wrap it in lotus leaf, saying "this is how we taste autumn in Nanjing".
常温配粥或龙井，每口 silky 咬合携来两千五百年城史——从六朝古都到民国首都；任何店铺买半只，摊主以荷叶包裹，道声“这是南京人尝秋的方式”。
（备注：资料源自网络，仅供学习交流，侵权即删）
