Boisson de prune acidulée (Suanmeitang)
Une boisson rafraîchissante de Pékin à base de prunes fumées séchées, d'aubépine et de sucre candi, parfumée à l'osmanthe et servie glacée.
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Ingrédients
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Étapes
Rinse and soak
Rinse the smoked plums, hawthorn slices and licorice root under cold water to remove any dust. Place them in a large pot, cover with the water, and let soak for 20 minutes — this softens the dried fruit and starts drawing out its colour and flavour before cooking.
- 50 g smoked plums
- 30 g hawthorn slices
- 10 g licorice root slices
- 2 litres water
✅ C'est prêt quand : the plums look plump and the water has started turning amber
Simmer gently
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises. Lower the heat so the liquid just bubbles gently, cover partly, and simmer for 45 minutes. Keeping the heat low rather than a hard boil stops the hawthorn from turning the drink bitter or cloudy.
✅ C'est prêt quand : the liquid is deep ruby-red and the plums have broken apart and softened
Add the sugar
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Strain the liquid
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Add osmanthus and chill
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Serve it cold
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Rinse and soak
Rinse the smoked plums, hawthorn slices and licorice root under cold water to remove any dust. Place them in a large pot, cover with the water, and let soak for 20 minutes — this softens the dried fruit and starts drawing out its colour and flavour before cooking.
- 50 g smoked plums
- 30 g hawthorn slices
- 10 g licorice root slices
- 2 litres water
✅ C'est prêt quand : the plums look plump and the water has started turning amber
Simmer gently
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises. Lower the heat so the liquid just bubbles gently, cover partly, and simmer for 45 minutes. Keeping the heat low rather than a hard boil stops the hawthorn from turning the drink bitter or cloudy.
✅ C'est prêt quand : the liquid is deep ruby-red and the plums have broken apart and softened
Add the sugar
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Strain the liquid
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Add osmanthus and chill
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Serve it cold
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The Story Behind the Dish
Suanmeitang is said to have been enjoyed in the Qing dynasty imperial court as a cooling drink for hot northern summers, later becoming a street-vendor staple across old Beijing's hutong alleys. Vendors sold it from large brass pots packed with ice, calling out to passersby and clinking small brass bowls together as a kind of advertising jingle.
Today it is sold bottled in shops across China, but the home-simmered version, dark and tart with smoked plums and hawthorn, remains the one locals say tastes like a real Beijing summer.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It balances sour, sweet and lightly smoky flavours in one glass, and is deeply tied to Beijing's street-food memory and its fight against summer heat.
💡 Fun Fact
Old Beijing street vendors were known for clinking two small brass bowls together in a rhythmic chime to announce they were selling suanmeitang, a sound many older residents still remember fondly.
Beijing, China
39.90°N, 116.41°E
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