When the first ray of morning light penetrates the clouds and sprinkles on the top of the snow-capped mountains in northwest Yunnan, the smoke from the stoves of the Yunnan people has already risen. This land, known as the "South of the Colorful Clouds", not only breeds magnificent natural scenery, but also refines a unique food system in the long history. Yunnan cuisine, like the 26 ethnic groups living on this land, presents amazing diversity - from the Meili Snow Mountain at an altitude of 6,740 meters to the bottom of the Yuanjiang Valley at 76.4 meters, the vertical distribution is not only the climate zone, but also a vivid food map.
On the stone slabs of Kunming Old Street, the freshly baked broken crispy buns exude the aroma of lard and flour, and the layers of crispy skin record the southward transmission trajectory of the Central Plains pastry skills during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This unique fermentation technique originated from the northern dietary genes brought by the soldiers guarding the border, but it has undergone a wonderful mutation in the warm climate of Yunnan. In Jianxin Garden, not far away, a bowl of cross-bridge rice noodles is steaming with steam. The boiling chicken soup and the thin slices of meat interpret the love wisdom of the wife of a scholar from Mengzi in the Qing Dynasty. These delicacies are like living fossils, recording the localization process of Han culture in border areas.
Deep in the Hengduan Mountains, the Lisu people on both sides of the Nujiang Grand Canyon are stewing whole native chickens with lacquer oil. The dark brown oil is taken from the seeds of the local lacquer tree, which exudes a slightly bitter nutty aroma. This ingredient, which may cause allergic reactions in other areas, has become a good food therapy to resist the humid mountain mist here. Three hundred kilometers to the south, in the bamboo house of the Dai people in Dehong, a pot of sour bamboo shoots and fish is emitting the unique "stink" of fermentation. This taste transformed by microbial action echoes the Southeast Asian food culture and witnesses the taste exchange on the Southern Silk Road.
At an altitude of 1,900 meters in the ancient city of Dali, Bai women are making raw hides - fresh pig skins burned with straw are cut into strips and served with plum vinegar dipping sauce. This almost raw way of treating pork retains the most original meaty aroma, and its source can be traced back to the sacrificial food during the Nanzhao period. At the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Naxi people's cured pork ribs hot pot is bubbling in a copper pot. After the magic of salt and time, the hard ribs become salty and delicious. This is the wisdom of the plateau people to preserve food in the long winter.
The uniqueness of Yunnan cuisine is first reflected in the wildness of the ingredients. In the rainy season, wild mushrooms such as chicken mushrooms and matsutake mushrooms break out of the ground in the mountains and forests; in the subtropical river valleys, tamarind and tree tomatoes hang on the branches; on the plateau dams, various wild vegetables grow freely on the edge of the fields. This "living off the mountains" dietary philosophy has created the seasonal awareness of Yunnan people to "eat flowers in spring, mushrooms in summer, fruits in autumn, and roots in winter." In Kunming Mushuihua Wild Mushroom Market, "Mushroom Life and Death" is staged every summer. Experienced buyers can accurately distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms. This knowledge is often passed down from generation to generation through word of mouth.
In terms of cooking techniques, Yunnan cuisine presents the characteristics of "simple but with skill". Jianshui steam pot chicken is seasoned with salt, and the umami flavor is locked in by the circulating steam of special pottery; Tengchong Dajiujia relies on the control of heat to make the bait crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; Xuanwei ham relies entirely on more than three years of brewing. These seemingly simple processing methods actually imply a deep understanding of the characteristics of the ingredients. What is particularly special is the fermentation culture of Yunnan: Midu pickled vegetables, Lunan brine, Pu'er fermented black beans, and the complex flavors created by various microorganisms under suitable climatic conditions have become the soul of Yunnan cuisine.
