The Midu Giant Taro gets its name from its large, round shape resembling a human head. It boasts remarkable vitality and thrives in moist temperate climates, growing hidden beneath the soil. According to *Agricultural Highlights of the Republican Era*, during an agricultural exhibition organized in the 11th year of the Republic of China (1922), a single taro weighing 13.5 kilograms was displayed, though taros around 5 kilograms are commonly seen. The yield of Midu Giant Taro is…
The tie-dye of Weishan in Nanzhao Town boasts distinctive ethnic traditional craftsmanship and was once named “Hometown of Chinese Tie-Dye Art – Weishan” by China’s Ministry of Culture. Since its debut at the Beijing International Trade Fair in 1985, Weishan tie-dye has enjoyed consistent market popularity, with its products exported to countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea, and Europe…
The puffed rice is made from high-quality glutinous rice, featuring a fluffy, fragrant, and crisp texture with large grains. When mixed with sugar and ground walnut kernels and brewed with hot water, it produces a sweet and delicious drink with a unique flavor, serving as a special beverage for Midu locals to welcome and entertain guests during the Spring Festival. By using maltose syrup extracted from barley sprouts to bind the puffed rice, a variety of puffed rice candies can be made. Among them, the “Lion…”
Red yeast rice is a unique, purely natural, biological, non-toxic food preservative, coloring agent, and flavor enhancer exclusive to Guozyuan Village in Midu County. Its main components are monascin and red yeast rice pigment. Due to its rose-like color and its appetizing cherry-red hue, it is called "red yeast rice" and has a history of over 600 years. Red yeast rice is made by first preparing a koji starter using 72 types of...
Garlic is globally recognized as a health food, and Midu Single-clove Purple Skin Garlic is a premium variety among garlics. It is rich not only in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins (B1, B2), but also contains allicin, as well as minerals like selenium and germanium, which have anti-cancer properties. The garlic extract in hair conditioners can make hair sleek and shiny. Eating garlic can boost motivation, enhance endurance, promote blood circulation, and benefit overall health. Today, garlic has become an indispensable necessity in people's lives. Midu Single-clove Purple Skin Garlic and Purple Skin Garlic are renowned both domestically and internationally for their large size, thin skin, superior quality, strong flavor, and pure aroma. The product sells well across the country and is popular in Southeast Asia, Europe, and America. Every part of the garlic is valuable. The tender and sweet green garlic sprouts, known for their delicious taste, are a standout product of Midu County, selling well in southwestern, northeastern, northern, and southern China, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau, and are exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
Midu Large Taro is a specialty of Midu County in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. With its excellent quality and unique characteristics, Midu taro has gained wide market recognition and is exported to Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Shandong, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, as well as processed and exported to countries such as South Korea, the United States, and Europe. Taro has been a traditional crop in Midu...
Midu Pickled Sour Vegetables are a specialty of Midu County in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. “Midu sour pickles—beloved by the people of Yunnan.” These pickled vegetables are bright in color, fragrant and tangy, making them especially popular among consumers and a common household staple. They can be served cold in a salad, stir-fried, eaten raw, or added to soups—eat them however you like. A little tangy and very appetizing...
The Mishizhu Tofu Banquet is a specialty of Mishizhen Township in Midu County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Tofu is the signature dish of Mishizhen — almost every household knows how to make it, with a wide variety of tofu dishes on offer. Locals warmly welcome visitors from afar with their colorful, fragrant, and delicious tofu banquet. During the annual Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month in Mishizhen, there's also...
Milk fan is a dairy product produced in Dali, with a rather unique shape. It is a thin, less-hydrated slice that comes in milky white or pale yellow hues, roughly resembling a bamboo fan shaped like a water caltrop — quite difficult to describe. Milk fan is made by boiling fresh milk, mixing it with edible acid at a ratio of three to one, then coagulating and pressing it into thin slices, which are wound around thin sticks to dry. It is essentially a specially shaped type of…
"Rice cake" is a widely loved food among the people of Yunnan. At the end of each year, farmers select the best-quality rice, wash and soak it, then steam it until cooked. After steaming, the rice is pounded in a mortar until it becomes a soft paste, which is then kneaded while still warm into various shapes such as rectangles, ovals, or flat circles. Once cooled, it becomes rice cake. If soaked in cold water (with the water changed once daily) after three or four days, it can be preserved for several months. In Kunm…
Dali Xizhou Baba, also known as "Po Su" (literally "broken layers"), is a delicious wheat flour baked flatbread known for its appealing color, aroma, and taste. It is a popular local snack in both urban and rural areas of Dali, with the traditional version made by the Bai people of Xizhou being the most famous.
The traditional dessert Stuffed Snow Pear from the Bai people of Yunnan can nourish the lungs, cool the heart, dissolve phlegm, and reduce internal heat. This delicate dish is snow-white and translucent, tender, sweet, and richly aromatic. Not only does it boast an appealing color, aroma, and taste, but it is also packed with protein, fat, minerals, as well as vitamins B1, B2, and C. It's a secret recipe for fashion-forward women to indulge their taste buds and enhance their beauty. Stuffed Snow Pear…
The traditional folk craft of Yellow Tofu Noodles of Yin Street originated in Qiguanying, Yin Street. Made from boiled starch of cowpeas, it has a long history and was well-known far and wide over 400 years ago for its authentic color and pure flavor. In 1965, Yan Hongyan, then Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited Midu for research. Accompanied by Zhang Yuqi, the acting secretary of the county party committee, he tasted it and repeatedly praised it. A local saying goes, “Yellow noodles with wine—each bite tastes better than the last…”
Made using Mishizhi’s unique traditional craftsmanship, the tofu is coagulated with specially prepared sour soybean milk and boiled in water from “Pearl Spring,” the source of the song “Flowing Stream.” Whether white tofu or stinky (hairy) tofu, you can fry, boil, steam, stir-fry, or pan-fry it. Soy milk and tofu pudding are also available—served hot or cold, rich in nutrition, delicious in taste, and forming a distinctive tofu feast all on its own.…
Wind Liver, also known as Honeycomb Liver due to its honeycomb-like cross-section, boasts a rich and fragrant taste and is another renowned local specialty of Midu. Its production dates back to the mid-Ming Dynasty. The preparation process involves cleaning a fresh pig liver (one that is intact, undamaged, and with the gallbladder still attached), inserting a tube into the hepatic ducts to inject air, causing the entire liver to expand into a honeycomb shape. Then, a mixture of seasonings primarily made from red yeast rice powder—blended with white liquor—is poured into the liver until it is fully stuffed. Air is then pumped in again to distribute the seasonings evenly throughout the liver. The opening is sealed, and the liver is hung in a cool, ventilated place to dry, completing the process.
Located on the left side of the Flower Lantern Square in the county, this eatery specializes in rice noodles, vermicelli, and braised dog meat. It opens every evening at 7 PM. The dog meat comes exclusively from local village dogs and is carefully prepared by the owner. You can smell its aroma from over a hundred meters away. At just 5 yuan per bowl, the dog meat here is not only tender and the broth delicious, but also — due to the addition of traditional Chinese herbs during cooking — nourishing and not overly heating. However, be warned: if you arrive too late, there might be no seats left or the dog meat could be sold out!
Pheasants, also known as guineafowl or Lady Amherst's pheasants, are protected rare birds in China. This might surprise you—but don’t worry, in Juli Township, Midu, you can enjoy them without any worries. The pheasants here are all farm-raised. You can start your visit by touring a pheasant farm to see these birds. When you’ve had enough of watching, you can indulge in a full pheasant banquet, which includes...
Yangbi Treehead Vegetable is a perennial wild deciduous shrub or small tree belonging to the Araliaceae family, also known as Cilabao, Cimutong, Cichun, or Quebuzhan. "Treehead Vegetable" is its local name. Uses: Edible – The tender shoots of the Treehead Vegetable are edible and can be harvested for consumption when the buds grow to a length of 3–5 inches. They have a bitter-cool flavor and a crisp, tender, refreshing taste, making them very popular among people. This is how it got its name as a favorite wild vegetable.
Yangbi Soft Rice is another specialty of Yangbi County following the famous Yangbi walnuts. Due to the county’s unique climate, soil, and water conditions, the soft rice produced here is of higher quality than that from other regions. Types of soft rice: Long Soft Rice: Its cooked rice is fragrant, oily, soft in texture, and delicious, and has been rated as a first-grade rice by the ministry; Fragrant Soft Rice: Its cooked rice is known for being soft, moist, and richly aromatic...
Yangbi Pickled Raw Dish is made by marinating pork ribs and offal with "Snow Mountain Clear" wine, featuring a delightful color, aroma, and taste. It was highly popular among consumers at the Dali March Street Ethnic Festival trade fair and won the Golden Flower Award for local products in Dali Prefecture. Yangbi Preserved Tofu—crafted using local Yangbi techniques through braising, boasts excellent color, aroma, and flavor, making it a premium vegetarian food...