Top 5 must eats while visiting Kunming - All aboard the flavour town express!

If anything should make you want to try this, the fact that it was recently named a UNESCO Cultural Heritage item should. This special stinky and hairy tofu is definitely the start of this list for multiple controversial reasons. This dish is beloved by all locals; however, it is a definite hard sell to all the tourists. The smell is so intense that people may even cross the street just to get away from the street vendors. It is a fermented tofu dish and should not be missed, at least just to brag that you tried it.

Yunnan Ham goes to almost 250 years back in history. This dish can be found at most restaurants, served in their own style, however, it's definitely more about the ham than the style. This is an incredibly popular dish as it is made from a breed of pig that contains high amounts of body fat and muscle quality. Xuanwei Ham began to be mass produced back in 1915 and has gone on to win an international gold medal as well. You'll come across various Kunming restaurants & hotels during your stay here that offer great food and accommodation, such as Grand Park Kunming for example.

Called Ru Bing in Chinese, this dish is essentially pan-fried goat cheese. The creation of this dish is credited to the Sani and Bai ethnic minorities found in Yunnan, today it is a classic. Requirements in making this dish include goat milk that is firm, fresh, non-melting and acid-set to ensure superior quality. The milk is first heated and then mixed with a souring agent. You can have it stir-fried with vegetables or simply with some spicy powder.

The Dai cultural people who live in both Yunnan and various other parts of Southern China claim pineapple rice to be their signature dish. Made using a mix of white and purple rice that is soaked overnight and then steamed for an hour to form a sticky texture. Other ingredients that go into it are raisins, rock sugar, coconut milk, salt, sliced almonds and last but not least pineapples. It is served in a hollowed-out pineapple. This is one of those exceptions as it is a sweet dish in comparison to most other Yunnan dishes which tend to be spicy.

Pu'Er Tea can only be found in Yunnan as it is native to the region. As such, it is a must try when you visit Kunming. This is a black tea that is often found as big bricks and is considered to be one of the oldest teas in the world. It is dark and has a strong taste as a result of its fermentation and oxidization process. The tea is also known to naturally ferment on its own over time and as such is called a living tea.