Flower-based Foods

Flower-based Foods

　　The Bai people are named for their love of the color white, and elegance has always been their eternal pursuit. It is this pursuit that has led the Bai to also seek simplicity and subtlety in their cuisine, giving rise to flower-based foods.

　　　　When you visit Dali or other Bai-inhabited regions, the beauty of wind, flowers, snow, and moon will captivate you, and flower-based foods will delight both your taste buds and your stomach. Among the Bai, one of the more ancient and traditional flower foods is the white azalea. This flower grows at altitudes above 2,500 meters on the Cangshan Mountain. There are both white and red azaleas; the red ones are toxic and inedible, though they are strikingly beautiful for ornamental purposes. The white azalea, much like the Bai people themselves, is elegant and graceful, fresh and refreshing—making it an excellent flower-based food.

　　　　Every year in March and April, the melted snow from Cangshan Mountain soaks the entire range, turning it emerald green. During this time, the white azaleas bloom all over the mountains. Grab a basket, hum a tune in the rich Bai dialect, and head up the mountain to pick the snow-white azaleas. Even a student trained in abstract thinking would be enchanted by the sea of blossoms. Once you’ve filled a large basket—and it won’t take long with so many flowers—you’ll find yourself so immersed in the joyful floral landscape and the melodic Bai tunes echoing between Cangshan and Erhai Lakes that you could easily pick even more without feeling tired, only wishing time would slow down. Back at home, whether in a “three-sided house with a screen wall” or a “courtyard with four sides and five skylights” (both are traditional Bai architectural styles: the former features three two-story tile houses on the west, south, and north sides, with a patterned and inscribed screen wall on the east, hence the name; the latter consists of buildings on all four sides enclosing a larger central courtyard called a “skylight,” with four smaller courtyards at the corners, totaling five, hence the name), you remove the flower stamens, rinse the blossoms clean in the clear Cangshan snow water, boil them, and soak them for three days and nights mainly to prevent poisoning. After draining the water, you can prepare a variety of delicious dishes. If you dry them, you can save them to honor guests when “visitors come from afar,” showing your respect. For those who prefer a stronger flavor, you can stir-fry them; if you like a lighter taste, stew them with fava beans—the wild, natural flavor will leave you reminiscing for years to come.