Pipa Pork (琵琶肉/Pi Pa Rou)  is a traditional Tibetan-style preserved meat in Shangri-la. It looks like Pipa, also known as Chinese lute. With delicate flavor and transparent color, Pipa Pork can be stewed or boiled and can be stored for a long time.

Pipa Rou is also one of the specialties of Naxi cuisine. It is a course of dish getting materials from a whole salted pig. A whole pig after being cleaned is added with many ingredients. Pipa refers to Chinese lute (a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard). As the slated whole pig is shaped like the Chinese lute, it is also called Pipa Rou in Chinese. The salted pork slices is fat but not greasy. 

Yogurt (/ˈjoʊɡərt/ or /ˈjɒɡərt/; from Turkish: yoğurt), also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt, is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk.^[1] The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as yogurt cultures. The fermentation of lactoseby these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and characteristic tart flavor. Cow’s milk is commonly available worldwide and, as such, is the milk most commonly used to make yogurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, and yaks is also used to produce yogurt where available locally. The milk used may be homogenized or not, even pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk produces substantially different results.

Tibetan Yogurt(藏式牦牛酸奶) is a little different from other yogurt, because it is made from yak milk instead of cow milk. 

For thousands years, our nomadic ancestors have been  making and eating yogurt from milk from their herds of Yak and Dri (female yak). The appropriate way to say  “eat yogurt” … in Tibetan is … “sho daa” – meaning “lick yogurt.”  Yes – this conjures up the image of a young Tibetan drokpa child licking clean a bowl of delicious, tasty “sho” that his mother might have made.  There is nothing better than home-made “sho” – trust me and try it for yourself. 

Making yogurt is actually very easy but it does take quite a bit of patience which sometimes I lack.  Basically, you heat up milk, cool it down, add the yogurt culture, and then let sit for a few hours.

Tsampa or Tsamba/Zanba (Tibetan: རྩམ་པ་, Wylie: rtsam pa; Nepali: साम्पा; Chinese: 糌粑; pinyin: zānbā) is Roasted Highland Barley-Flour Dish, a Tibetan and Himalayanstaple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the region. It is roasted flour, usually barley flour and sometimes also wheat flour. It is usually mixed with the salty Tibetan butter tea. It is also eaten in Turkestan and Mongolia, where it is known as zamba.

Zanba is the main food for Tibetan people and is divided into several kinds: highland barley Zanba, pea Zanba and mixed Zanba. Zanba is nutritious and is easy to carry about. It is the most convenient food for the Tibetans living in plateau. When they go on a long journey, if they bring a bowl or Zanba bag, Zanba, butter and dry milk residue, no matter where they are, they can use water instead of buttered tea to make a meal of fragrant and nice Zanba without lighting a fire to cook. Zanba is made by drying highland barley in the sun, parching the barley and grinding the barley into flour in water mill. It is ground into coarse or fine flour according to different flavor, and it also can be ground into refined Zanba by removing the bran The way of eating it is: pour a little buttered tea into a bowl first, add some butter, fine milk residue and white sugar into it, and then put the Zanba flour into the bowl. Then hold the bowl with the left hand, mix them with the right hand in the bowl to and fro, and mould them into small balls for eating after they are mixed thoroughly.
 

Suolima Wine (索里玛酒/Suo Li Ma Jiu) , also known as ‘Tibetan Beer’, is a kind of drink with distinctive Tibetan feature with sweet and sour taste. The making process is simple. First of all, the highland barley should be washed and then fried. When the temperature getting lower, distiller’s yeast is added in and sealed up in pottery jars or wooden barrels. Two or three days later, clean water is added in. Another two days later, Suolima Wine is done and appears to be orange.

Butter Tea (酥油茶), also known as “Tsampa Tea,” is a staple in Tibetan daily life. Here’s an overview of how it’s made and its significance in Tibetan culture:

Butter Tea (酥油茶)

Preparation:

1. Tea Base: Local tea is poured into a traditional tea cylinder.
2. Ingredients: Butter, salt, and refined spices are added to the tea.
3. Mixing: The mixture is blended repeatedly until the ingredients are fully combined.

Significance:

• Cultural Role: Butter tea is an essential part of the diet for Tibetans, consumed at least three times a day by most people, and sometimes more than ten times. It plays a crucial role in their daily diet, providing essential heat to withstand the cold weather of Tibet and helping to relieve thirst and promote fluid balance.
• Energy and Warmth: Due to its high fat content, butter tea generates significant warmth, which is vital in the cold Tibetan climate.

Accompaniment:

• Cream Dairy Dreg: This by-product is made from milk that’s been processed to separate the butter. The remaining milk is boiled and allowed to sour. Once cooled, it’s poured into a bamboo funnel-shaped container for filtering. The result is a white, sour dreg known for its digestive benefits.
• Usage: Tibetans often carry this dreg when traveling to help with digestion and to avoid digestive issues in unfamiliar environments.

Butter tea not only provides essential nutrients and warmth but also holds cultural significance, reflecting the traditional lifestyle and dietary practices of the Tibetan people.

Jinghong City Map

Shangri-La City Map

Joseph Francis Charles Rock (1884 – 1962) was an Austrian-American explorer, geographer, linguist and botanist.Underwent renovation years ago, the Rock Joseph’s Former Residence in Yuhu Village was opened to tourist as “Exhibition Hall for Former Residence of Dr. J.F. Rock”.
  
Joseph Rock, an Austria-American botanist and explorer, lived in Yuhu village and other places in that region from 1922 to 1949. He was also a naturalist and Photographer, and the first foreign scholar to introduce Lijiang ethnic culture to the western world.

Life

He was born in Vienna, Austria, went to Egypt at the age of 10 with his father, and later wandered about in Europe. But on an impulse, he emigrated to the United States in 1905 (New York) and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1907, where he eventually became an authority on the flora there. He first taught full-time (there were two others) at Mills College (now known as Mid-Pacific Institute), and was placed on leave in Sept. 1908 for health reasons (he needed to be out-of-doors). As the Territory of Hawaii’s first official botanist, he joined the faculty of the College of Hawaii; the name was changed in 1920 to become the University of Hawaii in 1911, established its first herbarium, and served as its first curator from 1911 until 1920, when he left the college to spend the next few decades exploring the botany of Asia.

During the Ngolok rebellions (1917-1949) Rock witnessed repeated battles by the Ma Clique’s Chinese Muslim army against the Ngolok Tibetans in Xiahe County and Labrang Monastery. The Ma Muslim army left Tibetan skeletons scattered over a wide area, and the Labrang monastery was decorated with decapitated Tibetan heads. After the 1929 battle of Xiahe near Labrang, decapitated Tibetan heads were used as ornaments by Chinese Muslim troops in their camp, 154 in total. Rock described “young girls and children”‘s heads staked around the military encampment. Ten to fifteen heads were fastened to the saddle of every Muslim cavalryman. The heads were “strung about the walls of the Moslem garrison like a garland of flowers.”

In March 2009, the University of Hawaii at Manoa named its herbarium after him.^[1] Works and collections by and from Rock are held in the Library of Congress.

Plants named after him

The Hawaiian endemic species Lobelia rockii of Molokai, and Peperonia Rockii; Pandanus Rockii Martelli at Palmyra Atoll; the spectacular Rock’s Tree Peony, Paeonia rockii from the Gansu mountains of western China, and the yellow-berried mountain-ash Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’^[6] are named after Rock.

Works

In 1916, Rock wrote the principal scientific description of Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. In his later expeditions and studies in China, Tibet and the eastern Himalayas, he produced a 1,094-page dictionary, numerous scholarly papers, and two histories of the Nakhi (Naxi) people and language of northwestern Yunnan, which have been widely used for the study of Nakhi culture, language and religion. These books are out-of-print and, consequently, command very high prices in the rare book markets.

The most important of his written works are

• Palmyra Island with a Description of its Flora, Honolulu, 1916.^[7]
• The Ancient Nakhi Kingdom of Southwest China. 2 vols., illustrated. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1948.
• A Nakhi-English encyclopedic dictionary. Rome: I.M.E.O., 1963.
• His National Geographic magazine articles:
  • “Hunting the Chaulmoogra tree” (1922) 3:242-276 (Also published separately).
  • “Banishing the Devil of Disease Among the Nashi: Weird Ceremonies Performed by an Aboriginal Tribe in the Heart of Yunnan Province” (1924) 46:473-499
  • “Land of the Yellow Lama: National Geographic Society Explorer Visits the Strange Kingdom of Muli, Beyond the Likiang Snow Range of Yunnan, China” (1924) 47: 447-491
  • “Experiences of a Lone Geographer: An American Agricultural Explorer Makes His Way through Brigand-Infested Central China En Route to the Amne Machin Range, Tibet” (1925) 48: 331-347
  • “Through the Great River Trenches of Asia: National Geographic Society Explorer Follows the Yangtze, Mekong, and Salwin Through Mighty Gorges” (1926) 50: 133-186
  • “Life among the Lamas of Choni: Describing the Mystery Plays and Butter Festival in the Monastery of an Almost Unknown Tibetan Principality in Kansu Province, China” (1928): 569-619
  • “Seeking the Mountains of Mystery: An Expedition on the China-Tibet Frontier to the Unexplored Amnyi Machen range, One of Whole Peaks Rivals Everest” (1930) 57:131-185
  • “Glories of the Minya Konka: Magnificent Snow Peaks of the China-Tibetan Border are Photographed at Close Range by a National Geographic Society Expedition” (1930) 58:385-437
  • “Konka Risumgongba, Holy Mountain of the Outlaws” (1931) 60:1-65
  • “Sungmas, the Living Oracles of the Tibetan Church” (1935) 68:475-486.

http://www.josephrock.net/

The return of truffle season in Europe stirs up a buying frenzy every autumn, but halfway around the world the Chinese too have a long history of feasting on a prized fungi. Yunnan is China’s top mushroom-producing province, accounting for 70% of the country’s harvest. The province’s cool climate, mountainous terrain and vegetation cover provide rich ground for wild mushrooms, which are prized in traditional Chinese medicine for their high protein and low fat content, medical benefits, and aphrodisiac qualities.

Just as tasty grilled, stir-fried, stewed in soup or cooked in myriad other ways, the mushrooms’ earthy flavour and texture make them a staple in eateries, from street-side hotpot stands and vegetarian cafes to fine-dining restaurants.

Why are Yunnan Mushrooms Famous?

Out of three thousand varieties of edible mushroom in the world, more than eight hundred types grow in abundance in Yunnan, including several premium varieties highly sought after by chefs around the world.

Morel mushrooms, a staple in classic French cuisine and known for their intense flavour and sponge-like texture, appear in the rainy months of April to late May and August to September, while porcini, the best known mushroom in Western cuisine, sprout in three varieties, white, black and yellow, between May and October. The Chinese sometimes refer to this harvest as “delicious beef liver” (美味牛肝).

Matsutake mushrooms are frequent sightings in the higher altitude forests in the Shangri-La region near Lijiang, and they are widely favoured by Japanese chefs and gourmands. A third of Japan’s annual consumption of matsutake is from Yunnan, and can fetch up to $560 per kilogramme.

Yunnan truffles have also caught the attention of the Western culinary world. They can cost just a tenth of the price of their European and Australian counterparts, and are usually lighter in flavour and aroma.

Beyond the popular varieties, Yunnan is home to rare mushrooms found only in the region, such as the cauliflower mushrooms that grow in the pine forests in June and July. Thin-stemmed “chicken leg” mushrooms are another unusual crop; termite mushrooms grow on ant mounds; and bamboo pith mushrooms are distinguished by the delicate sponge skirts that encircle them.

Where to Taste Yunnan Mushroom?

For the fearless home cook, Mushuihua Market in the provincial capital of Kunming is the biggest wild mushroom market in Yunnan, and the best place to stock your pantry.

Otherwise, small restaurants crop up during mushroom season along Guan Xing Road, the city’s main mushroom hotpot district, offering a variety of broths made with secret recipes.

Among the group, Lao Zi Hao Wild Mushroom Restaurant (99-101 Guanxing Lu, Kunming; Tel: +86 871-3550899) is a popular venue. Patrons select the mushrooms they want out of glass chillers, and are charged according to the variety, weight and rarity of their selection.

When traveling to Yunnan, trying local dishes is a must to experience the rich flavors and culinary diversity of the region. Here are some must-try Yunnan recipes that you should explore:

Cross-bridge Rice Noodles (过桥米线)

Ingredients:

• Thin rice noodles
• Sliced raw meat (typically chicken or fish)
• Various fresh vegetables (such as spinach, mushrooms, and bean sprouts)
• Yunnan ham or cured pork slices
• Chicken broth or hot water
• Seasonings: soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chili oil (optional)

Method:

1. Boil the chicken broth or hot water in a large pot.
2. Arrange the thinly sliced raw meat, vegetables, and noodles separately on a platter.
3. Once the broth is boiling, assemble the dish by adding noodles, followed by meat and vegetables, to the pot.
4. Season with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chili oil to taste.
5. Allow the ingredients to cook briefly in the hot broth before serving.

Steam Pot Chicken (汽锅鸡)

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken
• Ginger, sliced
• Garlic, minced
• Scallions, chopped
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Chinese herbs like goji berries or red dates

Method:

1. Clean and prepare the whole chicken.
2. Marinate the chicken with ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, rice wine, and optional Chinese herbs.
3. Place the chicken in a steam pot or steamer.
4. Steam over medium heat until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
5. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Yunnan Fried Goat Cheese (炸乳饼)

Ingredients:

• Fresh goat cheese
• Flour
• Eggs, beaten
• Bread crumbs
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Cut the fresh goat cheese into small cubes or slices.
2. Coat the cheese in flour, dip in beaten eggs, and coat with bread crumbs.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan or deep fryer.
4. Fry the coated cheese pieces until golden brown and crispy.
5. Drain excess oil and serve hot.

Yunnan Sour and Spicy Fish (酸辣鱼)

Ingredients:

• Freshwater fish (such as carp or tilapia), filleted and sliced
• Ginger, sliced
• Garlic, minced
• Red chili peppers, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Pickled mustard greens
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Stir-fry ginger, garlic, and red chili peppers in a wok until fragrant.
2. Add tomato slices and pickled mustard greens, stir-fry briefly.
3. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste, bring to a boil.
4. Add fish slices and simmer until fish is cooked through.
5. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Wild Vegetable Salad (野生菜沙拉)

Ingredients:

• Assorted wild vegetables (such as ferns, fiddlehead ferns, and bamboo shoots)
• Sesame oil
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Garlic, minced
• Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

1. Blanch the wild vegetables in boiling water, then drain and cool.
2. Mix sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, and sugar in a bowl to make the dressing.
3. Toss the blanched wild vegetables with the dressing.
4. Serve chilled as a refreshing salad.

These dishes represent just a glimpse of the diverse and flavorful cuisine that Yunnan has to offer. Each dish reflects the region’s unique ingredients, cooking techniques, and cultural influences, making them essential culinary experiences for any traveler visiting Yunnan.

Chongcao (Caterpillar Fungus) Steamed Chicken (虫草炖鸡)

This dish is well-known throughout Yunnan, Tibet, and Qinghai. It is cherished for its unique flavor and medicinal benefits. Here’s how it’s prepared:

Ingredients and Preparation:

1. Chicken Preparation:
   • Minced Chicken: Tender chicken breast is minced and mixed with refined salt, ginger, pepper, and egg white.
   • Initial Steaming: The seasoned chicken mixture is placed on a plate.
2. Caterpillar Fungus:
   • Preparation: Chinese caterpillar fungus (Chongcao) is washed, chopped, and placed on top of the minced chicken.
   • First Steaming: The dish is steamed thoroughly with the caterpillar fungus.
3. Final Cooking:
   • Soup Addition: The dish is transferred into a bowl, and chicken soup with additional seasonings is poured over it.
   • Second Steaming: It is steamed again until fully cooked.
4. Serving:
   • Presentation: The dish is served on a plate with clear soup.

Characteristics and Benefits:

• Texture and Flavor: The chicken is renowned for its crispiness, with a fragrant aroma, bright color, tender sauce, and unique flavor.
• Medicinal Properties: The dish is valued for its health benefits, particularly for the lungs and kidneys, making it popular among locals for its purported health-enhancing properties.

Chongcao Steamed Chicken combines culinary delight with traditional medicinal values, making it a beloved dish in the regions where it is prepared.

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Pipa Pork (Pi Pa Rou)

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