Flavorful Origins: Yunnan

Yunnan is known for a variety of dairy products, including Dali rushan: thinly sliced cheese that can be fried, griller or dipped in honey. (Source: Netflix)

A local wild berry features in nanpie, which refers t different types of flavorful pastes made from mashed vegetables or fish. (Source: Netflix)

Sa is a culinary tradition that pairs cold meat or raw vegetables with a versatile sauce that is often mixed with pig blood curd. (Source: Netflix)

Derived from the fruits of the Chinese lacquer tree, qiyou is an oil used to cook eggs, congee, pork stew, roast chicken and even bee larvae. (Source: Netflix)

Found in local moon cake fillings, Xuanwei cured ham can be thinly sliced, steamed, cooked with egg, stewed or served as cold cuts. (Source: Netflix)

Salted and partially dried, the sow thistle can be pickled and stir-fried with pork to lend a sour, crunchy flavour, or added to white radish stew. (Source: Netflix)

Wrapped in leaves with a sticky rice or spiced fish, the Musa basjoo – a banana found in Yunnan – can make for a sweet snack or savoury dish. (Source: Netflix)

Besides being an appetite stimulant, tart fruits like lemon and sour papaya can be added to shredded chicken, carp or a sauce for dousing live shrimp. (Source: Netflix)

The er, a flattened rice flour cake, can be backed into a sticky snack, sliced and stir-fried with vegetables or julienned into noodle-like strands. (Source: Netflix)

Zha, an old custom, is an assortment of dried fermented vegetables or fish served as side dishes, made with ancient methods of food preservation. (Source: Netflix)