Once shaped by court rituals, China’s imperial cuisine lives on today
- Imperial cuisine is still being served in Beijing, with Fangshan Restaurant in Beihai Park preserving dishes and techniques linked to China’s imperial court.
- Fangshan was founded in 1925 by former Qing Dynasty chefs, and its name means 'imitating the imperial cuisine.'
- The article describes a pastry once associated with Empress Dowager Cixi, which was later renamed 'dream pastry' after she reportedly dreamed of it and received it the next morning.
- Imperial cuisine covered both emperors’ everyday meals and court banquets, each governed by specific rituals and customs.
- The Palace Museum keeps Qing-dynasty dining artifacts such as pastry molds, while some Beijing chefs continue adapting old recipes to modern ingredients.
Imperial cuisine, once shaped by court rituals, is still present in Beijing through a small group of restaurants and chefs who preserve dishes linked to the Qing court and earlier dynasties. At Fangshan Restaurant in Beihai Park, cooks continue making recipes associated with the imperial table, including pastries tied in popular memory to Empress Dowager Cixi.
The restaurant was founded in 1925 by former Qing Dynasty chefs. Its name reflects its purpose: to imitate imperial cuisine. The article says that only a handful of other Beijing restaurants serve similar dishes, while the Palace Museum preserves objects connected to court dining, including pastry molds.
The report also explains that imperial cuisine was governed by ritual. It included both the emperor’s daily meals and banquet feasts, and customs could dictate when items such as milk tea were served. During banquets, food and wine were presented by the emperor to princes and officials, who then performed formal rites before eating or drinking.
曾受宫廷礼仪塑造的中国御膳如今仍在延续
御膳本是受宫廷礼仪塑造的饮食体系，如今仍在北京由少数餐馆和厨师继续传承。北海公园内的仿膳饭庄延续着与清宫和更早朝代有关的菜式，其中就包括与慈禧太后传说相关的点心。
这家餐馆创办于1925年，由几位前清御厨建立。报道说，仿膳的店名本身就表明其定位，即模仿御膳。北京还有少数餐馆供应类似菜品，而故宫博物院则保存着与宫廷饮食有关的文物，包括点心模具。
报道还介绍，御膳并不只是吃什么的问题，也有严格礼制。它既包括皇帝日常餐食，也包括宫廷宴席，其中像奶茶何时上桌都有讲究。宴席上，皇帝会向王公和官员赏赐酒食，受赐者行礼后方可进食。