People who take a tour to Nanhua county never forget to taste the food there. As a city having various Chinese ethnic minorities, the local food is different from the one in other places. All the foods in Nanhua feature local culture of ethnic minorities, and all the materials are from this place. It is the creation of local people and the work of human wisdom. This article will take you into the local life to discover the stunning food in this Yunnan city. All the foods talked about below are the representatives of local food and the essence of local food culture. They are also the top recommended ones to tourists who will be or have been in Nanhua county.

Jizong Mushroom

The Jizong Mushroom is one of the top-class mushroom types and a rare product of the mountain. You can fry it with meat or ham, or fried it alone, or boil it, or make soup with it. No matter how you cook it, it always tastes fresh and amazing. 

Matsutake

Matsutake (Japanese: 松茸, pine mushroom, Tricholoma matsutake = syn. T. nauseosum) is the common name for a highly sought-aftermycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is prized by the Japanese and Chinese for its distinct spicy-aromatic odor.Matsutake grow under trees and are usually concealed under duff on the forest floor free of non-symbiotic trees, e.g. broad-leaved. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots of a limited number of tree species. Matsutake are known to grow in China,Japan, Korea, Laos, Canada, Finland, the United States, Sweden, among other countries. In Japan it is most commonly associated with Japanese Red Pine.

Coffea Arabica

Coffea arabica /əˈræbɪkə/ is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the forests of the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia, as also the mountainous regions of Yemen. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee", or "arabica coffee". C. arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated.

Wild plants grow between 9 and 12 m (29 and 39 ft) tall, and have an open branching system; the leaves are opposite, simple elliptic-ovate to oblong, 6–12 cm (2.4–4.8 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.6–3.2 in) broad, glossy dark green. The flowers are white, 10–15 mm in diameter and grow in axillary clusters. The seeds are contained in a drupe (though commonly called a "cherry"; the plural form is simply "cherry"—used only when referring to the fruit of C. arabica—when referring to the actual cherry fruit, the appropriate plural is "cherries") 10–15 mm in diameter, maturing bright red to purple and typically contains two seeds(the coffee seeds).

Mutton

Chuxiong  The Yi ethnic people in Chuxiong take mutton as a household dish to treat guests. When they are preparing mutton hotpot, no condiments except salt are added in the caldron. But assorted spices will play their role on the dining table such as Chinese prickly ash berries (Huajiao, huā jiāo), cayenne, coriander, onion, ginger and mint. The sheepy odor is smartly and completely concealed for appetite.

(Picnic-style mutton hotpot of Chuxiong)

In most of Yi ethnic communities, mutton is a must for festivals and celebrations. If you go there some day, you will be definitely invited to a meal. Besides mutton, you'll be served home-brewed liquor. What a meal!