Roast meat has a history of several hundred years in Beijing. In the book History of the Ming Court: Favorite Food, there is a line: ¡°At snowfall, plum flowers are viewed; roast mutton is eaten in warm rooms.¡±

Roast meat was known as ¡°tent food¡± or ¡°field food¡± for centuries among the nomads of northern China. Later when utensils and cooking methods were improved, it developed its own unique flavor. There are two famous restaurants in Beijing that serve roast meat: Kaorouji, known for its roast mutton, located on the north shore of Shichahai; and Kaorouwan, famous for roast beef, located on Xuanwumennei Street.