Three-in-One Duck

Three-in-One Duck

　　"Three-in-One Duck" is a long-renowned traditional delicacy from the Yangzhou region. The areas around Yangzhou and Gaoyou are abundant in lake ducks, which serve as high-quality ingredients for making "Nanjing Pressed Duck" and "Saltwater Duck" in Jinling. Yangzhou chefs have been creating various duck dishes since ancient times, such as "Duck Soup," "Barbecued Duck," and the Ming Dynasty's "Clear Soup Civil and Martial Duck." 　　During the Qing Dynasty, fresh duck and pressed duck were steamed together to make "Layered Duck." The Qing Dynasty's "Diaoding Ji" (The Collection of Culinary Arts) records the method for making layered duck: "Remove the bones from a plump domestic duck, also remove the bones from the pressed duck, stuff the pressed duck inside the domestic duck, and steam until extremely tender, then serve whole." At that time, chefs in Yangzhou restaurants further combined lake duck, wild duck, and squab. Using a purple clay pot from Yixing, they simmered the three birds slowly in a generous amount of broth, resulting in a domestic duck that is rich and tender, a wild duck that is crispy and fragrant, and a squab that is delicate and juicy. With its unique flavor and exquisite taste, it is the most famous among all Yangzhou duck dishes and is exclusive to Yangzhou in the entire country. (Yangzhou)