"To the Chinese, food is life. Dining is the cherished high point of the daily social calendar and often the one occasion to stop work and fully relax. The only problem is knowing where to begin: the sheer variety on offer can have your head spinning and your tummy quivering." (Lonely Planet China, 2013 edition)
One of the great contributions to Chinese food is the cuisine of Yunnan, often referred to as Dian cuisine. Like many other schools it has its own unique style but its geographic location, diverse local plants and animal species and of course numerous ethnic minority groups with its different cultures makes the food very diverse and special.
Wonders of Yunnan Travel is doing its best to provide well-arranged meals to its clients while travelling. China's cuisine is famous for its wide variety of food and we hope you can enjoy these delicacies during your trip. If you have any specific requirements (e.g. Muslim or Jewish food, special dietary, vegetarian dishes or if you're having allergies etc.) please inform us upfront so we can include them into your tailor-made travel programm. You can also use our form for Tailor-Made Itineraries for this! If you are a food lover we can be your culinary guide and provide you the opportunity to savor tempting local food and famous dishes.
We carefully select local restaurants that will give you original insight of China's diversity. Especially Yunnan as a multi-ethnic province offers you a broad range of tastes and food. While travelling around Yunnan, you will discover the savours of the colourful ethnic minority people. Be seduced by the splendid and fancy dishes served by the Dai, Bai, Tai, Miao, Hani or Naxi!
Furthermore, each city has its own speciality, for example so called Over The Bridge Noodles (Guo Qiao Mi Xian) . Served only in Kunming, this rice noodle soup includes a variety of vegetables and different kinds of meat and spices. During your stay in Dali however, you can enjoy the freshly spiced barbecued fish, coming directly from the Er Lake. In Xishuangbanna you can discover a delicious pineapple filled with cooked sticky rice - an amazing mixture! Your trip to Southwest China will definitely awaken the gourmet in you!
Meals are included as specified in our itineraries. Meal codes are: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner.
Each breakfast will be served in your hotel. Breakfast selections include both, Chinese and Western dishes to meet your taste.
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Lunch is usually arranged at local restaurants near scenic spots. Your tour guides will order food according to your desire and appetite. All dishes are authentic Yunnanese food. A complimentary drink (beer or soft drink) is included.
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Dinner is usually served at local restaurants near the tourist attraction visited or directly in or around your hotel depending on the itinerary. Your tour guides are always happy to help you order food according to your wishes. Same as for lunch, a complimentary drink is served.
Famous dishes
Guo qiao mi xian
Which means 'Crossing the bridge' or 'Across the bridge' noodles, Yunnan's best known dish. Typically it consists of a bowl of chicken stock, to which diners add their own selection of paper-thin meat slices, rice noodles (mixian), vegetables and spices, much like a hot pot. Ubiquitous throughout the province. Most famous flavour dishes in the province, came from a story in the southern Yunnan. A scholar, preparing for the imperial examinations isolated himself on an island in a lake. His devoted wife was dismayed that meals she carried to him across a long, wooden bridge always arrived cold. But by chance, she discovered the way to keep soup boiling hot was to top it with a thin layer of vegetable oil which prevented the dish from cooling down. Of course, her husband passed the exams.
Qi guo ji
Steam Pot Chicken, A Yunnanese speciality, is made in a ceramic steam pot, a round, lidded vessel with an internal spout, or chimmney, that allows steam to enter and circulate but not escape. Chicken cooked by this technique produces a superior soup entirely from steam and natural juices. A remarkable feature, which should not put anybody off, is the inclusion of natural medicinal ingredients used by the Chinese both, to enhance flavour and to promote health. These might include ginseng, herbs or dried Himalayan caterpillars.
Boluo Fan
Which means Pineapple rice in Chinese, found in Xishuangbanna and other Dai areas. The cooked rice is being mixed with pineapple and mostly served in a pineapple shell.
Yiliang Roast Duck
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 imparts a unique flavour on the duck.
Jidou liangfen
A savoury jelly made from chickpea flour.
Erkuai
Highly refined and compressed rice cakes (a bit like flat noodles).
Lufu
A type of fermented bean curd (tofu), typically used as a condiment or put into sauces. It is reddish -yellow in colour, with a soft texture and a savory flavor.
Rubing & Rushan
Unlike in the rest of China, the Yunnanese appreciate certain dairy products. Rubing is a roasted or steamed goat's milk cheese, from the Bai cuisine in the area near Dali. Rushan is the cheese from the cow.
Mushrooms
Appear in great profusion when the rains let up in August. The most highly prized of the dozens of varieties are "chicken-tast mushroom", (jizong)and morel, called " Sheep-stomach mushroom " (yangduzi). For vegetable lovers, Yunnan is a joy. Enjoy the mushrooms together with lotus roots, bamboo shoots, tender young pea-sprouts, Chinese broccoli, beans of many types and green garlic shoots.
Xuanwei Ham
A strong, tasty, country-cured ham.
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