Yunnan Cuisine        7/22/2008 8:20:49 PM

Although Yunnan food is not officially listed in the "Eight Schools of Chinese Cuisine", Yunnan food is considered No.9 by many Chinese people because of the colorful dining customs in Yunnan. Foods in Yunnan can generally be divided into two categories.

People in the northeastern part of the province (which is inhabited largely by Han people) eat food similar to Sichuan cuisine due to the fact that it is close to Sichuan and thus has many contacts with this spicy province.

Those in the the western and southwestern parts of the province however, are more influenced by various ethnic groups as well as neighboring Vietnam and Laos. The most representative are those in the southern part of Yunnan, where the mild climate has helped the growth of many rare fruits and vegetables.

In a word, Yunnan food features delicacies from the mountains and seas. The most famous courses include: chicken braised with chrysanthemum and tremella, regional mushrooms/fungi and Yunnan noodle.  There are numerous famous restaurants in Yunnan. If you are interested in finding out about more about eating in the province, refer to the dining information for  Lijiang, Dali, Xishuangbanna, Shangri-La and Kunming.

Typical famous dishes:
Every visitor to Kunming will reward him with the unique ethnic folk dishes here. Ethnic dishes are cooked in different utensils in various ways. With one bite, you won't forget the unique taste of the chicken toasted with lemongrass and the rice cooked in bamboo tube of the Dai ethnic minority, the local eight bowls and earthware casserole fish of the Bai people, the toasted rice cake and Pipa-shaped ham of the Naxi people, etc.

Yiliang Stewed Duck

This is a special delicious delicacy, and the best stewed duck is found on Goujie Street.

Dengchuan Mile Fan
Milk Fan is a fan-shaped dairy product and there are two types: milky white and milky yellow. It is a major dish the Bai people use to treat guests.

Steam-Pot Chicken
To prepare the dish, the first step is to chop the chicken into cubes, put them in the steam-pot and add some seasoning. Then the steam pot is placed on another container full of water. After stewing the container for three or four hours, the hot steam entering the steam-pot through the volcano entrance will make the chicken ready to eat.

Xuanwei Ham
Also known as "Yuntui", or "Yunnan Ham", it is one of the three most famous kinds of ham in Chin. More than 60 years ago, it was sold to Hong Kong and Singapore, gaining great fame for Yunnan Cuisine. Yunnan Ham retains its unique flavor and can be stored for a long time.

Lunan Milk Cake
This butter cake is made from fresh goat milk. There are many ways to eat the milk cake. If the milk cake is sliced and sandwiched with sliced ham, the famous Yunnan Ham and Milk Cake will appear.

Over-the-Bridge Rice Noodle
This dish is formed with three parts: a bowl of chicken soup, a sliced non-staple food in addition to a dish of thin bean curd sheets and a dish of vegetables, then the rice noodles. With the seasoning of pepper powder, gourmet powder, fried chili, chopped onion, the soup appears colorful with red, green, yellow and white and its taste is unmatched.

Yunnan Edible Mushrooms
Yunnanhas a myriad of edible mushrooms with different flavour, they are famous and precious "delicacies from mountains" in Dian dishes.