Taste of Yunnan

Today, en route Jiuxiang Scenic Spot, we had lunch at Yiliang, a county about 50km southeast of Kunming. Yiliang Roast Duck is said to be comparable to Beijing Roast Duck. Indeed it was, we were served two ducks and it was very quickly wiped out when I'm done with the photos.

The Yiliang roast duck is crisp in skin and tender in meat. Similar to Beijing roast duck, it is served with flowered spring onions, pepper and salt and duck sauce. However, unlike in Beijing where roast duck is skinned and wrapped in pancake, Yiliang duck is eaten as a whole. The secret behind the taste and fragrance of Yiliang roast duck is that it is roasted over pine leaves. A Taiwanese travel host was said to have eaten ten Yiliang ducks at one go!

We dined in a room complete with strewn hays and low stools, made to resemble open grasslands albeit a man-made one.

In the same meal, we were served a local fish deep fried with dried chilli and garlic. Dried chilli, synonymous with Yunnan, rendered color and spice to the fish. Though it was a tad too salty and bony for our usual palate, it was good nevertheless.

And nothing will top this culinary experience. I have always stayed on the sideline when it comes to food that crosses my imaginary safety line. This prevents the need for emergency bushes while on the road. But heck, we're in China, right? I was somehow coerced to try an obscure-looking plate of fried larvae. Well, I was sure glad I tried that before seeing it in its raw form!