Yunnan cuisine

Ingredients used for dishes in Yunnan cuisine

Street barbeque vendor in Kunming. Jianshui tofu at center, clockwise from top: Shiping tofu, potato skewers, Jianshui tofu skewers, processed meat sticks, probably beef skewers (often fatty) and another type of meat.

Street vendors. From bottom-left: quail eggs, two types of vinegar preserved vegetables (probably radish), bamboo rice (竹饭 zhufan), barbeque Jianshui tofu, roasted corn.

Yunnan cuisine (simplified Chinese: 云南菜; traditional Chinese: 雲南菜; pinyin: Yúnnán cài) or Dian cuisine (Chinese: 滇菜; pinyin: Diān cài), is an amalgam of the cuisines of the Han Chinese and other ethnic minorities in 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.

Two of the province's most famous products are the renowned pu-erh 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.

Yunnan cuisine is unique in China for its cheeses like Rubing and Rushan cheese made by the Bai people, and its yogurt; the prominence of yogurt in the local cuisine may have been due to a combination of Mongolian influence during the Yuan dynasty, the Central Asian settlement in Yunnan, and the proximity and influence of India and Tibet on Yunnan.

Notable dishes

English	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Origin	Description
Baba	粑粑	粑粑	bābā	Naxi	A thick, round, heavy bread, either prepared plain or with various fillings.
Banana flower	芭蕉花	芭蕉花	bājiāo huā	Dai/Zhuang people?	The 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 fàn	Dai people	Pineapple rice. It is found in Xishuangbanna and others areas populated by Dai people.
Erkuai	餌塊	饵块	ěrkuài	Bai people (Dali Prefecture)	Highly refined and compressed rice cakes
Across the Bridge Noodles	過橋米線	过桥米线	guòqiáo mǐxiàn	Han Chinese	Literally 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.
Hong dou	紅豆	红豆	hóngdòu	(ancient/wild)	Azuki beans have been used in Yunnan for millennia. Earliest domesticated examples are known from tombs in Japan (4000BC), then China and Korea (3000BC). Genetic evidence indicates that the bean later crossbred with native species in the Himalayas, and Yunnan was probably exposed to the ingredient at this time. Frequently prepared fried with kale or mint.
Jidou liangfen	雞豆涼粉	鸡豆凉粉	jīdòu liángfěn	Naxi people (Lijiang)	A savoury jelly made from gram flour
Juecai	蕨菜	蕨菜	juécài	?	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 yángyù	?	A local mashed potato style dish typically flavoured with spring onion and chilli.
Lufu	滷腐	卤腐	lǔfǔ	?	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.
Mi gan / Mi xian	米干 / 米線	米干 / 米线	mǐgàn / mǐxiàn	Dai people / Han Chinese	Fresh Yunnanese rice noodles, typically served either in a soup of broth or stir fried.
Pu'er Tea	普洱茶	普洱茶	pǔ'ěr chá	Han Chinese (Ning'er)	Famous dark tea that had gained popularity worldwide for its health benefits.
Steam Pot Chicken	氣鍋雞	气锅鸡	qìguōjī	Han Chinese (Jianshui)	Literally means "steam pot chicken". It consists of chicken steamed with tonics and herbs in a ceramic pot.
Rubing	乳餅	乳饼	rǔbǐng	Bai people (Dali Prefecture)	Cheese made from goat's milk.
Rushan	乳扇	乳扇	rǔshān	Bai people (Dali Prefecture)	Cheese made from cow's milk
Shiping Tofu	石屏豆腐	石屏豆腐	shípíng dòufǔ	Han Chinese via Mongols (Shiping)	Yuan Dynasty traditional beancurd traditionally made in Shiping County.
Xuanwei Ham	宣威腿	宣威腿	xuānwēi tuǐ	Han Chinese (Qujing)	Ming Dynasty traditional ham from Xuanwei, a county-level city in Qujing (曲靖), Yunnan
Yiliang Roast Duck	宜良烤鴨	宜良烤鸭	yíliáng kǎoyā	Han Chinese (Yiliang)	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.
Zhé'ěrgēn	折耳根	折耳根	zhé'ěrgēn	Yelang?	An edible rhizome with a fresh, spicy, peppery flavour. The leaves are also eaten.

See also

• List of Chinese dishes