Menglian County Dining
What to Eat in Menglian County
Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County (孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县) is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. There are a large number of ethnic groups in Ximeng Wa Autonomous County, so the dishes are rich and unique such as Buckwheat(米荞), Niusapie of Dai minority(傣味牛撒撇), Sticky Rice Cake of Lahu People(拉祜糯米糕), Bamboo Shoots(酸竹笋) and so on. You can enjoy yourself in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County.
"Menglian" means “a good place which has been found” in Dai language. Menglian also receives laudatory names like "Emerald of Border" and "Homeland of Dracaena". The ancestors of Dai nationality live here from generation to generation, and special geographical position and climate environment create special food here. Tourists visiting Xishuangbanna will be attracted by local delicious cuisine of Dai nationality, but actually the cuisine of Dai-style Menglian food is featured with more exquisites and tastes when compared to that of Xishuangbanna. Locals retain traditional processing modes when they develop Dai-style food, and the original taste and favor also inherit the essence of Dai-style food. Now the food of Menglian will be sorted for you to apprehend the taste legend from the green triangle.
1. Buckwheat(米荞)
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds, and also used as a cover crop. To distinguish it from a related species, Fagopyrum tataricum that is also cultivated as a grain in the Himalayas, primarily in Nepal, Bhutan and India, and from the less commonly cultivated Fagopyrum acutatum, it is also known as Japanese buckwheat and silverhull buckwheat. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Because its seeds are eaten and rich in complex carbohydrates, it is referred to as a pseudocereal. The cultivation of buckwheat grain declined sharply in the 20th century with the adoption of nitrogen fertilizer that increased the productivity of other staples.
2. Sticky Rice Cake of Lahu People(拉祜糯米糕)
Cook the sticky rice. Pound until smooth (If you don't have a large mortar for pounding rice, you can place the rice in a sack and pound with a rock). Cook and grind white or black sesame seeds and use the powder to cover a large bamboo mat or other pan. Form the rice into small cakes and place on the sesame-covered mat. The cakes can be eaten immediately or left to dry for one or two days. Once dried, the cakes can be cut into small pieces and fried. Sticky-rice cakes are usually eaten with fried pork. During the New Year's Festival these cakes are given to friends or guests as souvenirs.
3. Niusapie of Dai Minority(傣味牛撒撇)
Niusapie, specially cooked, is a well-known dish for guests when festivals or weddings are celebrated around Dai minority, Menglian County. They cook this dish with the local yellow cattle whose back-meat is burnt yellow, cut into filiform, mixed and stirred with cooked tripes, ginger, garlic, pepper, peanut pieces and other perfume and condiments, added by boiled and filtered ox-sausage water or bile. Next, it will be a busy time for your mouth and stomach. It is not only some kinds of soft, tasteful, fragrant, colorful food, but also a medicine which invigorates the stomach, reduces hot, and whets one's appetite.
4. Bamboo Shoots(酸竹笋)
Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths. They are sold in various processed shapes, and are available in fresh, dried, and canned versions. Raw bamboo shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides, natural toxins also contained in cassava. The toxins must be destroyed by thorough cooking and for this reason fresh bamboo shoots are often boiled before being used in other ways. The toxins are also destroyed in the canning process.
5. Beef-based sapie dish
Main ingredient: Lean meat of cattle
Ingredients: More than 40 wild spices including refined salt, peppers, chives, coriander, and others.
Features: Refreshing and tasty
Best time suitable for tasting: Full year
6. Dried cattle hide
Main ingredient: Dried cattle hide
Auxiliary ingredient: Tomato catch-up
Features: Crispy, tasty
7. Hodgepodge
Main ingredients: Various edible wild herbs from the mountain
Auxiliary ingredients: Ground cowhide, fruit of bitter nightshade and Dai-style fermented soya beans
Features: Rich in multivitamins and multi-celluloses, sour and tasty
8. Salad
Main ingredients: Houttuynia cordata, watery parsley, water hyacinth and cucumber
Auxiliary ingredients: Dai-style fermented soya beans
Features: Rich in a variety of vitamins and celluloses
9. Braised vegetables
Main ingredients: Greens moss, Chinese baggage moss
Auxiliary ingredients: Tomato, Toye, chili paste, garlic and brown sugar
Features: Sour, sweet and tasty, and rich in vitamins and celluloses.
10. Sour meat
Main ingredient: Lean pork
Auxiliary ingredients: Refined salt, toasted rice ball and pork rind
Features: Colorful color, sour, spicy and tasty
11. Steamed mix of edible wild herbs
Main ingredients: Various edible wild herbs
Auxiliary ingredients: Refined salt, garlic, ginger, hot pepper, wild leaves of plantain
Features: Refreshing and tasty, rich in vitamins and celluloses.
12. Soup of mixed beef, tripe and intestine skin of cattle
Main ingredients: Refined battle beef and tripe
Auxiliary ingredients: Intestine skin of cattle and other 10 wild spices.
Features: Gallbladder clearing, cholagogic effect, refreshing and fatigue removing
13. Salad-tasted chicken
Main ingredient: Traditional stocking and breeding hens
Auxiliary ingredients: Rice flour and over 10 wild spices including wild lemongrass
Features: Fresh, faint scent and tasty
14. Bitter bamboo shoot dish
Main ingredient: Bitter bamboo shoot
Auxiliary ingredients: Dai-style fermented soya beans, tomato, and fruit of bitter nightshade
Features: Bitter, cool, internal heat removing and conducive to liver and gall bladder
15. Fish dish
Main ingredient: Wild fish (greater than 500 grams)
Auxiliary ingredients: Major and minor corianders, over 10 wild spices
Features: Faint scent, fresh and delicious
16. Steamed fish
Main ingredient: Fresh wild fish (approximately 500g)
Auxiliary ingredients: Lemongrass, hot pepper, wild leaves of Japanese banana and over 10 edible wild herbs
Features: Fresh, tender, faint scent and delicious
Where to Eat in Menglian County
What kinds of cuisine is Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County known for? What are the best established restaurants? Where are the trendy of-the-minute eateries? What are the local delicacies? Come here you will find the answers.
It is not difficult in finding out such delicious food in ancient Nayun city of Menglian. Favorable restaurants with national features in the downtown of Menglian are promoted as follows:
1. Kongquelou Restaurant, located in Manghua Village, South City Ring Road, Menglian Downtown, telephone for ordering: 0879-8720266 (13769936177)
3. Dai Charm Restaurant, located in Yunjiao Village, Donglu Road, Menglian Downtown, telephone for ordering: 0879-8729142
3. Taijiale Restaurant: located in Yunjiao Village, Donglu Road, Menglian Downtown, telephone for ordering: 0879-9286683
4. Shiweitian Restaurant(食为天饭店)
Address: Baixiang Road, Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County(孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县白象路)
5. Yilong Restaurant(异龙饭店)
Address: Haiguan Road, Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County(孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县海关路)
6. Longyuan Restaurant(龙圆饭店)
Address: Chengdong Road, Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County(孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县城东路)
7. Shenyu Restaurant(神鱼饭店)
Address: Naelaozhai Road, Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County(孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县那俄老寨路)
More Restaurants in Menglian County
