Shilin Milk Cake

Shilin Milk Cake

Shilin Milk Cake is a product with geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　The tradition of making milk cakes from fresh goat’s milk has been practiced by local farmers in Shilin for more than 300 years. Shilin Milk Cake has always been highly favored by locals and is a renowned local specialty. According to the *Lunan County Annals* from the Republican era (Lunan County was renamed Shilin County in 1998), “Milk cake is made by fermenting goat’s milk, and is a specialty of this region, produced in greater quantity than in Yiliang, with an annual export of about ten thousand jin.” Products under the brands “Yangnaima” and “Pengcheng,” produced respectively by Shilin Hengsheng Dairy Products Factory and Shilin Pengcheng Agricultural and Livestock Product Development Co., Ltd., obtained national organic product certification in 2005, and won awards including Quality Award, Silver Award, and Gold Award at the 1st to 3rd Kunming International Agricultural Expos. The products sell well across the province and beyond, with some being exported to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

　　Shilin Milk Cake, the nationally and internationally renowned Shilin Milk Cake, is exquisitely made from goat’s milk. It boasts a delicious taste and rich nutrition, and is one of Yunnan Province’s famous specialty foods.

　　Shilin Milk Cake is produced in areas such as Guishan, Shilin, Weize, Muzhuqing, and Xijiekou in Shilin Yi Autonomous County. These regions are located in the mountainous and semi-mountainous areas of the fertile central Yunnan plain, featuring a mild climate and lush water and grass. The mountains are dotted with natural pastures, suitable for grazing dairy goats. The Sani people have long had the habit of keeping herds of dairy goats, and many households are able to make milk cakes themselves. They boil freshly squeezed goat’s milk, add edible acid (such as sour whey), let it coagulate, then wrap it in gauze and press it into blocks, which are dried to become milk cakes. Generally, five kilograms of milk can produce one kilogram of milk cake. High-quality milk cakes are off-white with a yellow tint, pure in texture, fine and smooth in consistency, moist and glossy, fragrant without sourness, and have an oily sheen on the surface. Folk practices involve sealing the milk cake in a jar, allowing it to be stored for half a year without spoiling.

　　Shilin Milk Cake is a high-fat, high-protein nutritional food. It is rich in nutrients, delicious in taste, convenient to eat, and can be cooked into a variety of tasty dishes. In addition, it is simple to prepare and easy to preserve, making it very popular. There are many ways to enjoy milk cake: it can be steamed, stewed, pan-fried, deep-fried, or eaten raw. It can also be used to make dishes such as ham-wrapped steamed milk cake, pan-fried milk cake, chicken stewed with milk cake, and green bean stewed with milk cake, all offering distinct flavors and attractive appearances.

　　Shilin Milk Cake

　　Geographic Scope

　　Shilin Milk Cake is produced within Shilin County, Yunnan Province, which administers 7 towns and 1 township: Lufu Town, Shilin Town, Lumeyi Town, Banqiao Town, Changhu Town, Xijiekou Town, Guishan Town, and Dake Township. Its geographical coordinates are: 103°10′–103°41′ east longitude, 24°30′–25°03′ north latitude. It spans 58.8 km from north to south and 51.3 km from east to west, covering a total area of 1,719 square kilometers. The region has 733,800 mu of natural grassland, with an average annual inventory of 81,000 dairy goats, producing 7,000 tons of fresh goat’s milk annually and manufacturing 1,400 tons of milk cake per year.