Originally Posted by
bigguyinpasadena
I find that most of the "Peking Duck" I have eaten in the past few years have almost no flavor-at least in the actual meat.
I don't know if it is because of the over-breeding of the Pekin ducks themselves or because the amount of salt used covers up any actual flavor.
Traditional Peking duck is unseasoned, with the exception of a thin coating of malt sugar on the skin to burnish the mahogany color upon roasting. Definitely no salt. So, if you think the duck tastes bland, you are having a proper Peking duck. The condiment tray that comes with the duck is crucial. That's why a place like Da Dong is quite meticulous with its condiment tray--it is the best, and certainly the most varied of the Peking duck restaurants that I've been to in Beijing. (Here in L.A., Wolfgang Puck also goes out of his way to ferment his own sweet bean paste to serve with his version of Peking duck.)