Due to the presence of 26 ethnic groups, Kunming not only has numerous tourist attractions, but also a rich variety of distinctive ethnic cuisine. WIth multi-cultural nature of the province, the city of Kunming brings together the most representative food of the various nationalities residing in Yunnan, so eating here is an experience not to be missed.
The famous food includes Steaming-Pot Chicken, Across Bridge Rice Noodles, and Xuanwei Ham. The night market is the best place to sample and enjoy the local snacks.
Yunnan Cross-bridge Rice Noodles 过桥米线
Yunnan rice noodle, or cross-bridge rice noodle is to Yunnan people what McDonald is to the Americans. It has a history of more than a hundreds' years, but spread to Kunming only fifty years ago. Locals love it because on one hand, it can be served as either staple or snack, on the other hand, it is tender nutritious and refreshing.
Pineapple Rice 菠萝饭
This is one of the favorite dishes of the Yunnan people, a typical delicacy with Dai ethnic characteristics. The sour and sweet flavors make it be served as a dessert sometimes, especially popular among children and ladies. Empty a ripe pineapple, chop the pulp into small cubes and then mix them with rice and glutinous rice. Put the mixture into the empty pineapple. Add some sugar and steam the pineapple. The sweet chewy rice will dominate your mouth and you can enjoy a light fragrance of the pineapple.
This dish gained its name from its cooking method: steaming the chicken in a pot with a hollow tube in the center. It is a simple tasty dish. To make it, place chicken, ginger, shallot, pepper and salt in the pot and steam for about four hours, during which time steam from the tube contacts the cold pot cover turning to water, then flows back into the pot to become delicious chicken soup. Before serving, remove ginger and shallot.
Wild Mushroom 野生菌
Yunnan is the kingdom of wild mushrooms. Of six hundreds edible fungi around the world, three hundreds of them are available in Yunnan province. Owing to the rich amino acid, deliciousness, nutrition, edible fungi are notable as treasure of the Mother Nature. Some world-famous ones include tricholoma matsutake, collybia albuminosa, boletus and so forth.
Roast Cake 烧耳饼
Also called Shao Erkuai in Chinese, it is a unique snack can only be seen in the Yunnan area. However, you will be surprised by its popularity as you can easily find Erkuai stalls in any lanes or streets in Kunming. Erkuai is made of various local rice, mostly are white rice and purple rice. Ground the cooked rice and make them into square or round cake shapes. Then toast them over the heat and brush with sesame sauce or spicy sauce. You can also try eating like locals, wrapping a deep-fried dough stick or hams.
Flower Cake 鲜花饼
As a must-try dessert of Kunming food, Flower Cake, one of the representative Dian-style mooncakes, derived from the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) and used to be praised by the royals. It features the unique filling which is made of Yunnan local roses. Sometimes, other ingredients like yulan magnolia, sesames, peanuts, semen juglandis and jujube paste can be added per preference. The sweet stuffing with a light rose fragrance and crispy crust make it one of the most popular cakes in Yunnan.
Guandu Baked Baba 官渡粑粑
Guandu is a quaint historical town in Yunnan Province and it is famed for producing a delicious local snack, Baba. This is a Yunnan-style cake made of buckwheat flour dough, sometimes white and corn flour dough with fillings. The cake is baked over hot coals and often two flavors are available. The Baba with sweet fillings composed of sesame, ground peanuts and walnuts mixed with sugar is more common while the salty version filled with oil, meat and pickled vegetables also worth a try.
Yunnan Stuffed Bun 破酥包子
It is a popular snack can be seen in Kunming’s fancy hotels and street stalls, and it is different from the other stuffed buns. Made of low-gluten flour, lard stearin, hams, diced meat, sugar and chopped dried mushrooms, the bun tastes savory but a little bit sweet. The freshly steamed stuffed bun is especially delicious as the soft outer skin and juicy meat fillings seem melting in the mouth, definitely a fabulous Kunming food you cannot miss.