Food and Restaurants

Food in Yunnan, as everywhere in China, is as varied as the local ingredients. Yunnan's diverse environment, from mountains in the west to subtropical forests in the south inspires an extremely palatable, although strange range of dishes. True to Chinese style, the thousands of varieties of plants and animals are well represented in cooking.

Cross-the-bridge noodles are prepared at the table by adding raw ingredients into a hot broth. The ingredients in the soup are seemingly unlimited, except by what your palate can handle. These include an assortment of meats, mushrooms, tofu (also available in many varieties, including dry tofu, tofu strips, and tofu skin to name a few), eggs, cheese, potatoes, pumpkins, melons and green vegetables. The story of the soup is famous – a woman preparing food for her scholar-husband realized that if she put a thin layer of oil on top of the broth and carried the raw ingredients separately, the hot broth would cook the food once she arrived at her husband's study – providing him a hot meal.

Definitely try street food, this allows you to sample many different kinds without making a financial commitment. There is a choice of almost anything skewered and barbecued, coated in hot pepper and oil. Although not a meal, definitely a worthy side trip for a post-museum or late night snack. Check out the food street on Shuncheng Lu, which mainly offers Muslim fare. Another street to check out is Xiangyun Xiaochi Jie. There is also an abundance of chestnuts which are served roasted shell-on, sautéed, prepared with meat, made into savory and sweet pastes or as dessert, including mouthwatering caramelized chestnuts. For those who are looking for the comforts of chicken soup, qiguo ji, a steamed chicken in broth is delicious. If you want something to chew on, pick up some beef jerky or some ham. An exotic variation of hotpot, try the wild mushroom hotpot. Different varieties of mushrooms are slow cooked in the broth before you add your own chosen goodies. Each mushroom has its own medicinal properties – tasty and good for you. Some varieties of mushrooms are only available from May to December.

From the southern region of Xishuangbanna, fruit is delicious and available year round. Apples, grapes, peaches and oranges to pomelos, jackfruits and mangosteens –the queen of the fruits are available.

Don't forget the cuisine of Yunnan's numerous ethnic minorities, which includes Naxi cheese (made of goat's milk and deep fried, somewhat reminiscent of a potato chip) as well as Bai local specialties such as spicy and sour fish and sweet deep-fried goat cheese.