Kunyang Braised Duck

Kunyang Braised Duck

　　Kunming braised duck is a renowned local delicacy from Kunyang Town, Jinning County, Yunnan Province. It is widely known for being "richly fragrant in flavor, tender yet not greasy." Jinning lies by Dianchi Lake, the "Pearl of the Yunnan Plateau," and is the birthplace of Dian culture as well as the hometown of the great navigator Zheng He. As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, Kunyang was a significant town with access to both land and water routes. The braised duck, meticulously prepared using Dianchi Lake spot ducks, became famous at the time. Locals would choose it as their preferred dish during festivals, banquets, and for entertaining visitors. The exceptional taste and quality of Kunyang braised duck have earned high praise. This is attributed first to the careful selection of ingredients and refined processing. Only live ducks weighing over 1.5 kilograms—specifically robust, tender Dianchi Lake spot ducks—are chosen, with green-headed, shiny-feathered drakes being the most ideal. After slaughtering, the ducks undergo more than ten procedures including scalding, plucking, cleaning, evisceration, rinsing, marinating, air-drying, hanging, and braising. Kunyang braised duck has a golden hue and is crispy and delicious. Testing by relevant authorities has shown that it is rich in protein, fat, inorganic salts, and vitamins A and B, making it a highly nutritious health food. Among these, the braised duck produced by Zhenhai Restaurant is considered the best, maintaining and inheriting the traditional characteristics of Kunyang braised duck with excellent quality.

　　The local chronicles of Kunyang Town in Jinning County record the following legend: It is said that during the late Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He joined Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di in battle. Due to his bravery and repeated military achievements, he became a trusted aide of the Prince and was appointed as an Inner Palace Eunuch. In the Yongle era, he was ordered to return to his hometown, Kunyang, to tend to ancestral graves. He brought back with him the saltwater duck specialty of Nanjing. After tasting it, the locals fell in love with it, so he instructed his personal imperial chef to teach the method of preparing saltwater duck to the people of his hometown. Since then, saltwater duck took root in Kunyang and became a household-favorite delicacy. The people of Kunyang integrated local Chinese herbal ingredients and their own dietary customs into the saltwater duck, evolving it into today's braised duck.

　　After hundreds of years of inheritance and development, Kunyang braised duck has formed various schools and styles. Especially since the reform and opening-up, artisans have built upon ancestral techniques, dedicating themselves to research and continuous improvement. They have innovated in production methods, ingredients, and taste. Using century-old braising liquid, they braise the ducks with strict ingredient selection, careful material choices, and proper proportions. The resulting duck is colorful, fragrant, and delicious, with aromatic bones, tender meat, thin skin, lean but not greasy flesh, and a uniquely local flavor. This has established a distinct production system with particularly outstanding characteristics.

　　To this day, the development of Kunyang braised duck has greatly boosted the local economy. Since the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, the braised duck industry has established a market presence in the Dianchi Lake region and southwestern Yunnan, securing its status as a traditional time-honored brand. Currently, there are nearly 100 shops selling Kunyang braised duck, employing over a thousand workers, with an annual sales volume of hundreds of thousands of ducks and total output value reaching tens of millions of yuan. Kunyang braised duck enjoys high recognition throughout Yunnan, with "Maolin Braised Duck Shop" being especially famous. It has represented Jinning County multiple times at events such as the Kunming Agricultural Expo, Kunming New Year’s Street Sales, and the Golden Bridge New Year Goods Fair.