The “Aiyizhai Brand Shiitake Bean Paste” is a branded food product developed by Dali Yongping Taifeng Food Co., Ltd. It is based on over a hundred years of traditional folk production techniques, continuously refined in terms of ingredients and manufacturing processes. The main ingredients are soybeans and shiitake mushrooms, complemented by rapeseed oil, chili, Sichuan pepper, salt, and more. It boasts excellent color and flavor, a rich aroma…
Matsutake, also known as pine mushroom, pine bolete, or qing jizong, belongs to the genus Tricholoma in the family Tricholomataceae. Initially, the cap is hemispherical before flattening into an umbrella shape. It typically measures 6–20 cm in diameter, with some growing as large as 30 cm. The color is pale yellow, covered with fibrous, velvety scales. The center is darker, radiating outward, while the flesh is tender, thick, and fine-grained...
The crispy flaky pancake is made by placing refined flour in a basin, adding water and baking powder, and mixing into a dough. After resting slightly, the dough is kneaded thoroughly on a board and rolled into a sheet. Coarse salt (or sugar) is sprinkled on top, followed by a layer of rendered lard, then the sheet is rolled back into a long log shape. It is then divided into portions, rolled into round discs. A flat-bottomed pan is brushed with vegetable oil and placed over hot charcoal. When the oil begins to smoke...
The Colorful Cloud Red Pear, also known as Yunnan Red Pear, is an emerging industry and distinctive high-quality agricultural product that Xiangyun County has carefully cultivated in recent years to boost farmers' income and prosperity. The fresh fruit is prized for its bright red skin, vibrant color, attractive shape, juicy texture, delicious flavor, and premium quality. It won the Gold Award for High-Quality Agricultural Products at both the 5th and 6th Kunming Pan-Asian International Agricultural Expo...
Wild mushrooms are high in protein and low in fat, rich in various amino acids and vitamins. They are natural, pollution-free green foods and rank among the top ten healthiest foods in the world today. Dishes made with wild mountain mushrooms paired with flying dragon black chicken, squab, and soft-shell turtle are deliciously tender, delicate, and smooth. The mushroom soup has a rich, mellow flavor with a lingering aftertaste, offering therapeutic effects against various diseases...
Xizhou, a Bai ethnic village by the shores of Erhai Lake, is a place of stunning scenery. The local Bai people prepare "Xizhou Fish," which boasts an exceptionally delicious taste and a strong rustic flavor. Xizhou Fish is made using yellow-shell fish from Erhai Lake. This fish resembles carp—small-headed, fine-scaled, meaty, with few bones, and tender. The yellow-shell fish is scaled, gutted…
"Hand-Grabbed Rice" is a local specialty of the Lisu people with distinctive regional flavors. The preparation method involves cooking locally produced fragrant rice and then pouring it onto a cleaned bamboo tray. On top of the rice are placed small pieces of braised pork, grilled chicken, cooked ham, fried potatoes, cold mixed heartleaf houttuynia, boiled pumpkin, and seasonings, and then...
The Lisu people living in the Dali region mostly resided in high-altitude, cold mountainous areas before the founding of the People's Republic of China. Their clothing was made from the fibrous bark stripped from seeds of plants they cultivated themselves, which the Lisu people called the "hemp cloth garment." The traditional attire for Lisu men consists of a short, front-buttoning tunic made of hemp cloth, fastened with more than ten buttons made of hemp twine arranged in opposing rows...
Fish come in two types: saltwater and freshwater. There are many delicious kinds of fish. But nowadays, freshwater fish that grow in unpolluted waters and are not fed with feed are quite rare. If you want to enjoy tasty, fragrant freshwater fish, head to Dali. There, you’ll find a traditional delicacy—Sour and Spicy Fish. Anyone who has been to Dali…
Yongping Braised Chicken is made with free-range mountain chickens from Yongping, combined with over ten premium ingredients such as high-quality Sichuan peppercorns, tsao-ko, dried garlic, dried chili peppers, and ginger. It is a unique regional delicacy created through the fusion of traditional cooking techniques and modern culinary methods. With continuous refinement in preparation, Xiao Wang's Braised Chicken is beloved by many for its vibrant color, delicious taste, enticing aroma, rich yet non-greasy texture…
Yongping Papaya Chicken is made primarily with free-range local young chicken and Yongping’s specialty white papaya, along with over ten complementary ingredients. Prepared using traditional cooking techniques, it features milky-white broth, tender meat, rich yet not greasy flavors, and a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste. It is nutrient-rich and highly popular for its appetizing and spleen-strengthening qualities…
"Yongping Pickled Chili" is made from high-quality green and red chilies sourced from the mountainous regions of Yongping and neighboring counties, along with various seasonings such as prickly ash, garlic, brown sugar, and perilla water. It is meticulously prepared using a traditional fermentation process in large earthen jars. This delicacy boasts a well-balanced sour-spicy flavor, is crisp and refreshing, stimulates appetite, strengthens the spleen, and enhances food intake. Before 1997, most Yongping farmers pickled chili at home...
Suoyang is one of the rare medicinal herbs found in the Baotai Mountain forest area. Also known as the "immortality herb," it goes by other names such as ground hairball, rusty iron rod, and Suoyan Zi. It mostly grows wild in forested areas at altitudes above 2,500 meters. Suoyang is a fleshy parasitic herb that lives on the roots of Nitraria (also known as bubble thorn). Yongping Suoyang is primarily produced in the primeval forests of Baotai Mountain, as well as in forested areas around Yongguo Temple, …
Shiitake mushrooms are one of Yongping’s prized edible fungi. The peak harvest season runs from April to June each year. They grow on over 100 types of broadleaf decaying wood such as oak, alder, beech, and Castanopsis, often in clusters. Yongping shiitake mushrooms are not only fresh in color and large in size, but also of superior quality. Renowned for their rich nutritional value and medicinal...
Yongping Goose is a specialty of Yongping County, Dali, Yunnan Province. The Yongping White Goose originated from the wild greylag goose and is a variant of the greylag goose species within the duck family (Anatidae, genus Anser). According to the *Dali Prefecture Local Poultry and Livestock Breed Chronicles*, in 1263, the Hui people of the He clan in Yongping began domesticating geese (greylag geese), marking over 750 years of history. The Yongping White Goose is a local breed developed...
Yongping boiled walnuts are a specialty of Yongping County in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. These walnuts are highly favored by domestic and international merchants for their large size, thin shells, white kernels, and superior quality. Yongping boasts vast mountainous areas with ideal natural conditions and a climate perfectly suited for walnut growth. All 73 village committees (communities) in the county have walnut trees...
Yongping White Papaya is a specialty of Yongping County in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. With a long history of cultivating white papaya, Yongping is renowned far and wide for its large fruits with thin skins, richly acidic and fragrant taste, thick flesh, small pits, and abundant juice. It serves as a key base county in Yunnan for producing high-quality white papaya seedlings and for the development of its cultivation. White papaya contains glycosides, carotene, protease,…
Osmanthus, also known as sweet osmanthus, belongs to the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae. It is an evergreen tree and one of China’s ten traditional famous flowers. Admired for its beautiful tree shape, year-round green foliage, small yet fragrant blossoms, and far-reaching sweet scent, it is deeply loved by people. Beyond its high ornamental value, osmanthus also carries profound cultural significance. The Southern Song poet Yang Wanli wrote…
Prickly ash is one of the major high-quality specialty products produced in Yongping and a high-economic-value economic forest fruit. Prickly ash trees can live for 30 to 40 years, and with proper management, they can yield economic benefits within two years of planting. Yongping prickly ash is large, bright red, glossy, thick-shelled with substantial flesh, and boasts a pure and rich fragrance as well as a pleasantly numbing and refreshing taste. It is…
Many towns in Yongping are located in mountainous or semi-mountainous areas, where goat farming plays a significant role in the development of animal husbandry. In addition, the region is home to a diverse mix of ethnic minorities such as the Hui, Yi, and Miao, making lamb a common and even primary meat source in some areas. While the cooking methods for lamb are largely similar across these places, Qu Dong in Bonan Town has gained recognition due to its...