Yunnan cuisine


Yunnan cuisine, alternatively known as Dian cuisine, is an amalgam of the cuisines of the Han Chinese and other ethnic minority groups in Yunnan Province in southwestern China. As the province with the largest number of ethnic minority groups, Yunnan cuisine is vastly varied, and it is difficult to make generalisations. Many Yunnan dishes are quite spicy, and mushrooms are featured prominently. Flowers, ferns, algae and insects may also be eaten. The cuisine of Yunnan is often compared to the cuisine of Southeast Asia as the province borders the region and many of the ethnic minorities or related cultural groups also have a presence in Southeast Asia.
Three of the province's most famous products are the renowned Pu'er tea, which was traditionally grown in Ning'er; as well as Xuanwei ham, which is often used to flavour stewed and braised foods in Chinese cuisine and for making the stocks and broths of many Chinese soups, and guoqiao, a rice noodle soup with chicken, pig's kidney and liver, fish and pickled pork.
Yunnan cuisine is unique in China for its cheeses like Rubing and Rushan cheese made by the Bai people. Other influences include Mongolian influence during the Yuan dynasty, and the proximity and influence of India and Tibet on Yunnan. Yunnan cuisine is gaining popularity in the west.

Notable dishes

EnglishTraditional ChineseSimplified ChinesePinyinOriginDescription
Baba粑粑粑粑bābāNaxiA thick, round and heavy bread, either prepared plain or with various fillings.
Banana flower芭蕉花芭蕉花bājiāo huāDai/Zhuang peopleThe heart of the banana flower. Frequently eaten roasted in banana leaves on an open barbecue, but also stir-fried.
Pineapple rice菠蘿飯菠萝饭bōluó fànDai peoplePineapple rice. It is found in Xishuangbanna and other areas populated by Dai people.
Erkuai餌塊饵块ěrkuàiBai people Highly refined and compressed rice cakes.
Crossing the bridge noodles過橋米線过桥米线guò qiáo mǐxiànHan ChineseLiterally means "crossing the bridge noodles" or "across the bridge noodles". It is Yunnan's best known dish. It typically consists of a bowl of boiling chicken soup, to which diners add their own selection of thin meat slices, mixian, vegetables and spices, much like a hot pot. It is ubiquitous throughout the province.
Adzuki beans紅豆红豆hóngdòuAdzuki beans have been used in Yunnan for millennia. Earliest domesticated examples are known from tombs in Japan, then China and Korea. Genetic evidence indicates that the bean later crossbred with native species in the Himalayas, and Yunnan was probably exposed to the ingredient at the time. Frequently prepared fried with kale or mint.
Jidou liangfen雞豆涼粉鸡豆凉粉jīdòu liángfěnNaxi people A savoury jelly made from gram flour.
Juecai蕨菜蕨菜juécàiIn high altitudes, often the first green growth in spring.Immature fronds of bracken ferns, such as osmunda japonica. Stir-fried or in soup.
Granny's potato老奶洋芋老奶洋芋lǎonǎi yángyùA local mashed potato style dish typically flavoured with spring onions and chilli.
Lufu滷腐卤腐lǔfǔNorthern China, via the Mongols A type of fermented beancurd, typically used as a condiment or made into sauces, often used on erkuai. It is reddish-yellow in colour, with a soft texture and a savoury flavour.
Migan / Mixian米干 / 米線米干 / 米线mǐgàn / mǐxiànDai people / Han ChineseFresh Yunnanese rice noodles, typically served either in a soup of broth or stir-fried.
Peanuts花生花生huāshēngRe-introduction?Eaten fried as a condiment, as a component in fried noodles, cold noodles, noodle soups, stir-fries and fried rice.
Pu'er tea普洱茶普洱茶pǔ'ěr cháHan Chinese Famous dark tea that had gained popularity worldwide for its health benefits.
Steam pot chicken氣鍋雞气锅鸡qì guō jīHan Chinese Literally means "steam pot chicken". It consists of chicken steamed with tonics and herbs in a ceramic pot.
Rubing乳餅乳饼rǔbǐngBai people Cheese made from goat's milk.
Rushan乳扇乳扇rǔshānBai people Cheese made from cow's milk.
Shiping tofu石屏豆腐石屏豆腐shípíng dòufǔHan Chinese via the Mongols Traditional bean curd made in Shiping County, dating from the Yuan dynasty.
Xuanwei ham宣威腿宣威腿Xuānwēi tuǐHan Chinese Traditional ham made in Xuanwei, a county-level city in Qujing. It dates from the Ming dynasty.
Yiliang roast duck宜良烤鴨宜良烤鸭yíliáng kǎoyāHan Chinese A crispy skin roast duck similar to Peking duck, but honey is used to crisp and colour the skin. It is roasted with pine branches and needles, which impart a unique flavour to the dish.
Zhe'ergen折耳根折耳根zhé'ěrgēnYelangAn edible rhizome with a fresh, spicy and peppery flavour. The leaves are also eaten.
Crisp Stuffed Bun破酥包破酥包pòsūbāoHan ChineseA lard-layered bun with pork, lard, bamboo shoot, and soy sauce; or with the filling of Yunnan ham and white sugar or brown sugar. Poshu Bun was created by a chef from Yuxi almost a hundred years ago.

Characteristic features

Abundant ecological raw materials

Yunnan is located in the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, with an extended range of mountains, plains, and lakes, forming a colorful scenery and three-dimensional climate of tropical, subtropical, temperate, and cold zones. This kind of diverse physiognomy and environment are incredibly beneficial to the growth of a variety of plants and animals, so that Yunnan vegetables have extensive materials, luxurious and unique, and most of them come from nature, with the characteristics of green, nutrition, ecology, and health care. Yunnan is known as the "fungus kingdom," "plant kingdom," and "animal kingdom." It is one of the regions with the most abundant edible wild fungus resources in China. There are more than 250 kinds of edible native fungus, among which common ones are bovine liver fungus, Qingtou fungus, chicken fir fungus, dried fungus, bamboo sun fungus, matsutake fungus and so on.
Yunnan that resembles spring in four seasons, the flower is not only the plant of ornamental view, and also the cate on the table. A lot of rare flowers like chrysanthemum, white azalea, rose, lily, magnolia, osmanthus all can make the famous flower dish name of excellent to the point. The precious medicinal materials produced in Yunnan, such as panax notoginseng, cordyceps sinensis, and gastrodia elata, are superior nourishing medicinal materials. Yunnan all-year-round vegetables keep green, mountain grass wild vegetables can be found everywhere. Said a local language, "Spring for flower, Summer for fungus, Fall for fruit, Winter for wild vegetable." It reflects the light pure, original, fresh, and sweet, unique flavor. A variety of fish, shrimps, and frogs breed in the plateau lakes of different sizes, which makes the diet take on the characteristics of extensive materials, various species, and strong local flavor, forming a batch of folk local dishes and specialties of Yunnan that are popular with the public. Especially some specialty and special spices have a significant role in food flavors, such as Xuanwei ham, Zhaotong sauce, Qiubei chili, Lunan halogen corrosion, Qujing leek flower, with distinctive features such as high-quality spices and characteristic, brought a unique taste for Yunnan dish. It provides the necessary for the development of Yunnan cuisine and an original material basis.

Unique cooking technique

The cooking technique is an essential factor in cooking dishes. Many flavor dishes are unique in cooking utensils, fire, taste, and color. Yunnan is a big province of ethnic minorities. The ancient cooking methods of 25 ethnic minorities are combining with the cooking techniques of the Han nationality, which makes the Yunnan cuisine taste and colorful. Both of the Han people's steaming, frying, sauté, pot-stewed, quick-boil, boiling, stewing, and the integration of minority baking, pestle, heat-contact, cure, stone cooking, salt cooking and other cooking methods, with a robust ancient charm, reflecting the life and customs of Yunnan minorities.
For example:
Bamboo Rice: Adding glutinous rice into bamboo to make bamboo rice with soft and glutinous fragrance.
Pineapple Rice: Pineapple purple rice made with hollowed pineapple with fragrant pineapple flavor.
Steamed Chicken: Steamed chicken made with Jianshui purple pottery special steam cooker with original flavor.