The cuisine of Yunnan is enriched by the tremendous cultural diversity of Yunnan Province, enhanced by its location in the southwest corner of China. Yunnan shares borders with Myanmar, Vietnam, as well as Tibet autonomous region, and Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. Yunnan is also home to more ethnic minority groups than any other province in China, with 25 of China's 56 ethnic minority groups. That extraordinarily rich cultural diversity makes Yunnan a land teeming with lively cultural cross fertilization and creativity. That richness is reflected in the varied tapestry of Yunnan cuisine. Yunnan cuisine also benefits from the fact that the land is one of the richest in biodiversity in the world.
One of Yunnan's most beloved culinary products is bamboo rice. Bamboo sticky rice is a specialty of the Dai people, who live in Xishuangbanna, among the green hills surrounding the Mekong River in southern Yunnan. The name Xishuangbanna means “thousand rice paddies” and the region has been called the “rice basket of China.”
The Dai people are part of the Tai ethnic group, which includes Thai, Laotians and the Shan people from Myanmar. Yunnan cuisine has similarities to that found in northern Thailand and Laos. It is spicy, sour and herbaceous, with generous use of chili, coriander and lime juice, but without fish sauce. The Dai people also liberally use fermented soybeans, lemongrass, bamboo, mushrooms, flowers, ferns, algae and gooseberries foraged from the jungle.
Bamboo rice is made by putting clean rice and water into a bamboo tube, soaking it for seven or eight hours, then covering it with a banana leaf and roasting it over coals for 12 or 13 minutes. The rice comes out soft and fluffy, with a delicate aroma of bamboo.
Bamboo is a hearty plant that grows vigorously and is abundant and cheap, so it is often a utilized in Yunnan cuisine. To make authentic Yunnan-style bamboo rice, the bamboo must be the Chimonocalamus variety from Xishuangbanna. Only the young green part of the bamboo plant is used in cooking. Split horizontally, the bamboo shaft is stuffed with a variety of possible choices, such as diced pork or chicken mixed with chili, ginger, coriander, Sichuan pepper leaf, sticky rice or diced pineapple.
The resulting dish is delicious and nutrifying, a whole meal in a bamboo tube.
Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province
Here are some recommended places for trying authentic, Yunnan-style bamboo rice.
1. Jian Pu Zhai Dai Restaurant（简朴寨傣味餐厅）
Address: Southeast of the intersection of Puti Avenue and Wanxiang Avenue, Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province（云南省西双版纳傣族自治州景洪市菩提大道与万象大道交叉路口东南侧）
2. Yingjiang Dai Flavor Garden（盈江傣味园）
Address: No. 69, Luofeng Street, Wuhua District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province（云南省昆明市五华区螺峰街69号）
