Yisa Yellow Cattle Dried Beef Jerky

Yisa Yellow Cattle Dried Beef Jerky

　　Yisa Yellow Cattle Dried Beef Jerky is a specialty of Yisa Town, Honghe County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The dried beef produced in Honghe County features a bright red color and an aromatic, enticing fragrance that is loved by all, making it the perfect gift for friends and family.

　　Originally, Yisa Yellow Cattle Dried Beef Jerky was a premium food for the local Dai and Pula (a branch of the Yi ethnic group) people. After slaughtering locally raised yellow cattle, they would select the lean meat, cut it into strips, and marinate it with salt, chili, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seeds, and a small amount of liquor. The mixture would then be left to cure in a basin for two to three hours before being sun-dried into jerky. When working in the fields, they would bring along a pack of cold rice with a piece of roasted jerky inside—no other side dishes needed. The jerky paired with cold rice made for a truly flavorful meal.

　　Why does Yisa jerky have such a good color and delicious taste? According to experts, the local yellow cattle typically graze in valley areas or on semi-mountainous ridges at elevations between 200 and 800 meters. Beyond this range, their flavor significantly declines. Whether stir-fried or braised, the meat from these local yellow cattle has a taste that surpasses that of other regions. Savvy merchants took advantage of this quality, scaling up the production of Yisa Yellow Cattle Dried Beef Jerky, adding refined packaging, and selling it at a price of 130 yuan per box (weighing 3 jin), making it one of the most distinctive local specialties of Honghe County.