Beijing is a city inhabited by many ethnic groups in China including over

200,000 Muslims. There are more and more people from the Muslim world

abroad coming to Beijing for sightseeing; visiting, traveling and international communication between China and foreign countries is getting more frequent.

During the 2008 Beijing Olympic, athletes from over 40 Islamic countries participated in the game and Muslims from 100 countries and regions visited Beijing. 

With a long history and unique flavor, Muslim food in Beijing is a very important part of Beijing’s culinary culture. Muslim food in Beijing originated with the introduction of Islam into Beijing and it has had a history of over 1000 years. The early record of Muslim food dates back to the Imperial Records of the Yuyan Dynasty and a widespread life encyclopedia had one chapter about Muslim food in Beijing and collected many of the Hui (Muslim) people’s menus. These demonstrate that Muslim food became quite common in the streets of Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1644).
　　

During the Yongle Period in the Ming Dynasty, many Muslims migrated from Southern China to Beijing as a result of the relocation of Chinese capital. The cooking skills of Southern China Muslim food was also introduced to Beijing and Beijing saw a rapid development of Muslim food. With the development of hundreds of years from the Yuan and Ming to the Qing Dynasties, Beijing had formed its unique Muslim culinary with a great deal of varieties, various kinds of flavors, unique menus and local snacks: some of which had been introduced to the Forbidden City and became part of Imperial cuisines. The commonly served Tasimi (“它似蜜”)、Osmanthus Muttion (“桂花羊肉”)、fried sheep or ox ribs with sasimin (“芝麻里脊”)、“盐爆散丹” was once in the menu of the Imperial court of the Qing Dynasty.

The Halal Sheep Banquet is second grand banquet in the Qing Dynasty Imperial Court only after the Manhan (Manchurian & Han) banquet. It was recorded that the Halal Grand Sheep Banquet had 72 varieties; it was served with either a bow or a plate. Though it was mutton, the flavor was very different. At the Halal Grand Sheep Banquet, they use all parts of the sheep and the cooking involves baking; frying; and boiling to bake. When naming the dishes, the word of sheep or mutton is avoided. Former premier Zhou Enlai used to hold the Grand Sheep Banquet at Youyishun Muslim restaurant for the Pakistan president in 1968. The Grand Sheep Banquet of Hongbinlou Restaurant today is still world famous.

Beijing Halal culinary became prosperous in the Republic period from 1911 to 1949. In the neiberhood of Qianmen there are over 10 Muslim restaurants located in this area including Yuanxingtang元兴堂、Liangyixuan两益轩、Tongheyuan同和轩、Tongyixuan同益轩、Xiyuguan西域馆、Xishengguan西圣馆、Qingyanlou庆宴楼、Cuifangyuan萃芳园、Changyuelou畅悦楼, Tongjuguan同居馆(馅饼周)、Enyuanju恩元居(炒疙瘩). Famous Muslim restaurants also included Ruizhenhou at Zhongshan Park, the Mongolian Hot Pot restaurant of Donglaishu at Dongan Market. The grand opening of Muslim restaurant of Xilaishun at Xidan in 1930 was a great news at that time because the manager of the restaurant used to cook for the Imperial family in the forbidden city.

There are over 500 dishes which are recorded by Halal Menu, a book published here in China.
Braised beef and mutton of Yueshengzhai月盛斋的酱牛羊肉、Sweetened baked wheaten cake of Dashunzhai大顺斋的糖火烧、Fermented mung bean juice of Douzhi Zhang豆汁张的豆汁、are all recorded by Halal Menu.