人们常说，如果你在北京，有两样事情是你一定要做的，一是爬长城，二是吃北京烤鸭。以前只有宫廷厨房才有，现在全北京，全世界的千万个餐馆都可以吃到传说中的北京烤鸭。北京烤鸭的起源可以追溯到大约600年前的明朝。那时候，来自中国各地的厨师前往都城北京为皇帝下厨。这是一个著名的职业，只有最好的厨师才可以进入宫里的厨房。1911年清朝最终没落，宫里的厨师离开紫禁城在北京开了餐厅，给人民群众带来了北京烤鸭和其他美味。

It is often said that if you are in Beijing, there are essentially two things that you must do; one is to climb the Great Wall, and the other is to eat Peking Duck. Once confined to the kitchens of the palace, the legendary Peking Duck is now served at thousands of restaurants around Beijing, as well as around the world. The origin of the Peking Duck dates back to the Ming Dynasty, about 600 years ago. Cooks from all over China travelled to the capital Beijing to cook for the Emperor. It was a prestigious occupation as only the best chefs could enter the palace kitchens. With the eventual fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, court chefs who left the Forbidden City set up restaurants around Beijing and brought the Peking Duck and other delicious dishes to the masses.