Eating Through Dali: Local Snacks and Specialties

Dali's cooking comes from Bai farming communities, the tea-horse trade and Tibetan neighbours. The snacks and dishes below are worth trying; the notes on flavour and texture tell you what to expect.

Rice at the centre: erkuai and ersi

Erkuai is a firm rice cake made from cooked, pounded rice. Cut into strips, it becomes ersi. In Dali, ersi often comes in broth or stir-fried with pickles, pork and chilli. The texture is slightly sticky and chewy; that is the local style. Stir-fried erkuai makes a good entry point, because the rice cakes take on wok heat and sauce while keeping their bite.

Milk fan and butter tea

Rushan, or milk fan, is one of Dali's distinctive snacks. Milk is reduced, stretched into thin sheets and dried. It can be deep-fried and finished with sweet bean paste or sugar, or grilled and rolled around rose sugar. The result is crisp, chewy and rich. Share one if you have already eaten.

Butter tea came with Tibetan trade and is still common in parts of Yunnan. It is made with tea, butter, milk and nuts such as peanuts and walnuts, sometimes with egg. Sweet and salty versions exist. The sweet style is easier for many first-time drinkers; the salty one is more savoury and warming.

Bai flavours: raw pork, Xizhou baba and Yongping chicken

Dali shengpi is made from pig skin and pork. The skin is singed, cleaned and served raw with a dipping sauce. It is a Bai favourite, but raw meat deserves caution: choose a busy, reputable place, ask about preparation and decide for yourself. Skip it if you have a sensitive stomach.

Xizhou baba is a flatbread from Xizhou, sold sweet or savoury. The crust is crisp and the interior soft. Fillings vary; sugar and rose are among the sweet options, and savoury versions sit alongside. It makes a useful snack between sights.

Yongping braised chicken is a Dali-area dish with a deep savoury profile, often served in a clay pot with chillies and aromatics. Local accounts trace it back centuries and call it a leading dish of western Yunnan. It is richer and more complex than the chain-restaurant chicken rice that shares its name.

Sour fish, pea jelly and wild greens

Dali sour-spicy fish gets its sourness from local plums rather than vinegar. The sauce is tart, chilli-hot and appetising; the fish is usually freshwater carp. It is a good dish to share.

Wandoufen is made from dried yellow peas. The peas are hulled, soaked, ground, filtered and cooked into a paste, then left to set. It sets into a smooth, pale yellow jelly with a distinct pea aroma. Serve it cold with chilli, garlic and vinegar, or warm.

The plant known locally as water-loving flower is an edible aquatic species that grows in clean water and produces small white flowers. It appears on local menus as a vegetable; the texture is tender and the flavour mild.

Cold-dressed tree bark is not bark at all but a lichen that grows on rocks and tree trunks. It tastes bitter at first, then savoury; locals value it as a cooling wild food. A related tree flower also appears, though its appearance can be challenging.

Cold chicken rice noodles are a Dali lunch staple: shredded chicken, rice noodles, a walnut-based dressing, chilli, garlic, scallion and sesame. The effect is lightly sour, gently spicy and cooling. A useful dish on a warm day.

Where to look

Old Town is convenient for snacks: rice cakes, rushan, baba and bowls of ersi appear in small shops and market stalls. For an everyday Bai meal, small pea-jelly shops are worth seeking out; alongside the jelly they may serve shengpi, pig-blood soup and cold fish. Neighbourhood restaurants serve similar dishes, often with tables on the pavement, and the cooking is straightforward. Xizhou is the natural place to try baba. Yongping chicken and Haishao fish are usually restaurant dishes rather than street snacks; Haishao fish restaurants sit outside the old town and are best reached by taxi.

If you want a change from Bai food, old-town hotpot places specialise in Shangri-La yak, Tibetan pork and mushrooms. Menus may also list Shangri-La beer. Ask about the origin of the yak if that matters to you.

Practical notes

Portions can be large, so order fewer dishes than you think and add more later. Chilli is common but often adjustable; ask for mild if needed. Raw dishes such as shengpi carry risks, and wild plants should be eaten only from established vendors. Menus, opening hours and availability change, so confirm current details with the venue or an official local source before travelling. Eat what looks busy and fresh, ask what is in season, and leave room for a second bowl of noodles.