Museum offers chance to enjoy tasty duck recipe

A museum has managed to draw in lots of visitors to learn about a century-old duck recipe and sample the dish.

The museum, located next to the Wuzhen scenic spot, covers an area of 5,000 square meters, and features white wall and black tiles, typical of the residential style in places south of the Yangtze River.

The Sanzhenzhai duck museum was built for the public to understand the brand’s culture and spice up visitor experience in the tourism hot spot Wuzhen.

“We want to ride on the wave of Wuzhen’s increasingly hot tourism and improve our brand’s fame and sales,” says Lu Fengxue, the sales manager of Sanzhenzhai.

The brand was born in Wuzhen in 1848 and has been popular for the distinctive taste of its duck products.

Now, Sanzhenzhai has approximately 100 outlets across the country.

The museum has become a hit since it opened at the end of October.

Approximately 70 buses drop by the museum on a daily basis, which translates to roughly 7,000 tourists.

Roughly 6,000-7,000 ducks are sold per day.

Tourists typically opt for three ducks at 100 yuan ($15.15), according to Lu.

“Our products are especially popular with the middle-aged and seniors,” says Lu.

The museum offers free sampling, which is very popular. And most visitors buy after tasting, Lu adds.

The interior of the museum resembles a private garden. And, sculptures and photos showcase the brand’s history and the delicate process of cooking the duck.

Chefs in uniform demonstrate key steps in the preparation of the duck.

At the museum, visitors get a glimpse of the brand’s recipe for success — from duck selection and marination to drying.

To get the ideal result, the duck has to be cleaned twice before being boiled in water at around 85 C for eight minutes.

Then, it is left to cool before being stewed with such ingredients as cinnamon, star anise, rice wine and ginger for half an hour.

Afterwards, the duck is put in a secret sauce that claimed to be as old as the brand for another half an hour, and then air-dried.

Yao Ai’er from Kunshan in Jiangsu province bought six ducks on her visit to the museum in late November.

“I tasted it, and it was delicious, so I bought some for my family and friends,” says Yao.

The museum is two-hour drive from her home and Yao says she will definitely return if she visits Wuzhen again.

PHOTOS BY YANG FEIYUE / CHINA DAILY The Sanzhenzhai duck museum in Wuzhen draws visitors who wish to learn about its century-old duck recipe and sample the dish.