Exploring the Food Culture of Yunnan: Where Minority and Sichuan Cuisines Meet | HOJO Online Speciality Tea Shop

We are currently staying long-term in Yunnan Province for spring tea production. On rainy days or when there is no production planned, we stay in the towns and we often eat out. For us, exploring the food culture here is just as interesting and enjoyable as making tea.

In this article, we would like to share our experiences of dining out in the countryside of Lincang City, Yunnan Province.

Three Major Styles of Cuisine in Yunnan

Food culture in Yunnan is not uniform but can be roughly classified into several styles. Among them, the most common styles are as follows:

1. Yunnan Cuisine
2. Minority Ethnic Cuisine
3. Sichuan Cuisine

What we refer to as “Yunnan cuisine” here isn’t entirely separate from Sichuan or the cuisines of ethnic minority groups. Rather, it strikes a middle ground—blending the best of both worlds. It combines bold Sichuan flavors, like doubanjiang (fermented bean paste), with the sour notes and aromatic herbs typical of Dai and other minority cuisines, creating a distinctive and well-balanced flavor profile.
While the dishes do carry some heat, they’re not overwhelmingly spicy.
Below, we’ll break down the key elements of each culinary tradition.

Yunnan Cuisine

Yunnan cuisine is commonly enjoyed throughout the province. It reflects a combination of Sichuan cooking methods and the culinary traditions of many ethnic minority groups in the region. Among these groups, the Dai people — part of the Thai ethnic family (also written as Tai or 泰) — play an especially important role in shaping the style of Yunnan cuisine. Typical ingredients include fermented vegetables, Yunnan ham, and “mugua” (木瓜a type of quince). These dishes also make extensive use of herbs such as coriander, fennel leaves, and mint, along with spices like chili, garlic, ginger, black cardamom, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn.

Mugua

The result is a cuisine that combines the rich culinary traditions of Sichuan — including its use of Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱fermented bean paste), Sichuan peppercorn (花椒), various chili-based seasonings, and distinctive cooking techniques — with the herbs and sour tastes characteristic of the food culture of nearby ethnic minorities, especially the Dai (傣族) people. Yunnan cuisine can be seen as sitting somewhere between Sichuan food and the ethnic minority cuisines of the region, particularly influenced by the Dai. While there is some spiciness, the heat is generally moderate and not overpowering.

One of the well-known dishes of Yunnan cuisine, Ham and Chicken Stew with Quince (火腿木瓜鸡Huotui Mugua Ji): the sourness of the quince together with the rich broth from ham and chicken creates an addictive taste.

Salad with the Roots of Houttuynia

Stir-fried Chicken with Mountain Pepper (Litsea)

Wasp Larvae

Salad with Wild Araliaceae Shoots

Goat Offal Stew with Herbs

Minority Ethnic Cuisine: Dai Food

Yunnan Province is home to a large number of ethnic minority groups. Of the 55 officially recognized minority groups in China, 25 are located in Yunnan, and they make up around one-third of the province’s population. Han Chinese tend to live in urban and lowland areas, while many minority communities reside in mountainous or remote border regions.

When people think of ethnic minorities, they might imagine people dressed in traditional clothing or wearing characteristic headscarves. However, in daily life, most ethnic minorities dress similarly to the Han majority, except during festivals or in tourist areas. In highland regions, even Han Chinese often become sunburned, making it difficult to distinguish ethnic identity based on appearance alone.

The major ethnic groups living in Yunnan include the Yi (彝族), Lahu (拉祜族), Wa (佤族), Dai (傣族), and Miao (苗族), along with many others. Among these, the Dai people stand out for their deep commitment to food culture. The Dai people of Yunnan belong to the larger Tai-speaking ethnic family, which includes the Thai people of Thailand, the Lao people of Laos, the Shan people of Myanmar, and others across Southeast Asia. Although the Dai speak their own language (Dai language), it shares linguistic roots with Thai and other Tai languages. Dai cuisine shows strong similarities to the food of northern Thailand, especially the Chiang Rai region, suggesting a close ethnic connection.

Both Thai and Dai people are known for their gentle, easy-going personalities and warm friendliness. However, when it comes to food, they show a striking level of dedication and precision, producing dishes with exceptional attention to detail. The fact that people from these related ethnic groups, living across different national borders, share such similar culinary values is truly fascinating.

Restaurants serving Dai food can be found across Yunnan. Compared to general Yunnan restaurants, Dai restaurants are often slightly more expensive. The Dai people tend to live in lowland areas and near rivers, with large communities in Xishuangbanna and also in Dehong, Lincang, and Pu’er. They often form concentrated settlements in these areas.

Dai cuisine features sour tastes from lime, lemon, and mugua (quince), as well as from fermented pickled vegetables. These are combined with abundant fresh herbs to create dishes with bright, refreshing flavor. Once you taste a well-prepared Dai dish, the experience is unforgettable.

Swamp Eel Stew with Herbs

Sichuan Cuisine in Yunnan

There are many Sichuan people living in Yunnan today. This is mainly due to large-scale migration that took place during the Ming Dynasty, when the local population in many parts of Yunnan had sharply declined because of repeated wars and epidemics. In response, the government launched a migration policy known as the “Huguang Filling Sichuan” campaign, encouraging people from other provinces — especially Sichuan — to move into these underpopulated areas. As a result, many Sichuan families settled in Yunnan, and their food culture became firmly established in the region.

As a result, Sichuan cuisine is commonly available throughout Yunnan. However, after generations of living in Yunnan, Sichuan-style food here has been adapted to local ingredients and tastes. The flavor has shifted into what might be called “Yunnan-style Sichuan cuisine,” with milder spiciness and some changes in cooking style. This style has now become one of the familiar categories of food in Yunnan.

This dish is called Laziji (Spicy Chicken), but its style is completely different from the Laziji commonly found in Sichuan cuisine.

The dish above is Mapo Tofu, but compared to the typical Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu, it is much milder.
The dish below is Shuizhu Fish (Boiled Fish with Chili), though it also differs quite a lot from the original Sichuan version.

The Unique Ordering System at Yunnan Restaurants

One unique feature of many restaurants in Yunnan is the absence of a fixed menu. When you enter, instead of sitting down right away, you are usually invited to stand in front of a refrigerator displaying a variety of ingredients — meats, fish, vegetables, and mountain greens. You choose the ingredients you would like, and the price is determined by your selection, not by the dish itself.

For example, if you select chicken, the price remains the same whether you ask for it as a soup, stir-fried, or prepared as “lazi ji” (辣子鸡 chicken with chili peppers). This is because vegetables in Yunnan are very inexpensive — often as low as 1 yuan (about 0.14 USD) per bundle — and the cost is mostly determined by the main ingredient like meat or fish. The idea of paying for cooking skills or techniques themselves is not common here.

This system is not limited to Yunnan but can also be found in many rural areas across China. However, it is especially common in Yunnan.

After selecting the ingredients, we discuss with the staff or chef how we would like them to be cooked. Without some knowledge of Yunnan cuisine, it can be challenging to place an order properly. We often need to ask which preparation method suits each ingredient, which vegetables are good for soups, and which spices or herbs go well with the dish. This process feels almost like being part of the cooking ourselves, which makes dining here even more enjoyable.

When we order, we always insist on not using MSG (monosodium glutamate), even in small amounts. If the seasoning sauces contain MSG, we ask the restaurant to choose a different dish. We also request less salt and oil. Thanks to this flexibility, we can enjoy a customized meal that suits our preferences perfectly.

Each bunch is priced at 1 yuan (about 0.14 USD).

Seasonal Focus on Mountain Vegetables

Another interesting point about Yunnan dining is the strong focus on mountain vegetables during certain seasons. In Japan, mountain greens are often considered a seasonal delicacy. But in Yunnan, they are treated as everyday ingredients, cooked and served just like any other vegetable.

When mountain vegetable season arrives, the variety of standard vegetables in the refrigerator often decreases dramatically, making space for a wide selection of freshly harvested mountain greens. The common thinking here seems to be, “If the mountain vegetables taste better, why bother eating anything else?” Of course, this mindset is more typical of certain mountain regions where these greens are plentiful, rather than across the entire province.

In regions where people are naturally familiar with the quality of ingredients through their daily food culture, they tend to develop a good sense for what is truly good. This awareness is also reflected in the way they grow tea.

During the spring season, mountain vegetables become the main attraction at local markets, drawing many buyers eager to get the freshest picks of the day.

In spring, most people at the market come for wild mountain vegetables.