烤鸭
kǎoyā
Roast duck in Chinese is 烤鸭 (kǎoyā).
The term refers to a dish consisting of a duck that has been cooked by roasting in an oven or over a fire. While 烤鸭 is the general term, you may see more specific variations. For example, 北京烤鸭 specifically refers to Beijing-style roast duck and 片皮鸭 denotes Peking duck cooked in a particular style where the crispy skin is separated from the meat.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 烤鸭 is composed of 烤 (kǎo), meaning 'roast' or 'bake' and 鸭 (yā), meaning 'duck'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Cantonese speakers often use the term 燒鴨 for roast duck.
How do you pronounce it?
kǎoyā
When do people say it?
When referring specifically to the famous style of roast duck from Beijing, the full name 北京烤鸭 (Běijīng kǎoyā) is used.
Did you know?
- In some traditional preparation methods, a bamboo pole is inserted into the duck to blow air between the skin and the flesh. This creates a gap that allows the fat to render and the skin to crisp up.
- The specialized style 片皮鸭 focuses on the skin, which is often dipped in sugar to highlight its crispiness and sweetness.
- Historically, 北京烤鸭 was a royal dish served to the Emperors of China long before it became a global culinary symbol.
Examples in context
- 我想吃烤鸭。I want to eat roast duck.
- 我们今晚可以去尝尝北京烤鸭。We can try Beijing-style roast duck tonight.
- 这里的烤鸭很出名。Zhèlǐ de kǎoyā hěn chūmíng.The roast duck here is very famous.
- 服务员，请给我一份烤鸭。Fúwùyuán, qǐng gěi wǒ yī fèn kǎoyā.Waiter, please give me one serving of roast duck.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to order at a Chinese restaurant.
- 佳怡 Jiayi浩然，你想吃什么？Hàorán, nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?Haoran, what do you want to eat?
- 浩然 Haoran我们点一份烤鸭吧。Wǒmen diǎn yī fèn kǎoyā ba.Let's order a roast duck.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好主意，我也很喜欢吃烤鸭。Hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān chī kǎoyā.Good idea, I really like eating roast duck too.
- 浩然 Haoran那我们现在就点菜。Nà wǒmen xiànzài jiù diǎncài.Then let's order the food now.
