Food in Lijiang

Gourmet food has gathered at Qiyi Street and the Oriental Cherry food plaza of Lijiang, Southwest China's Yunnan province. Dining in the old town of Lijiang is not advised, as food there is expensive and not tasty. Xiangshan Market, Huama Street and Jinkai Plaza are popular dining sites in the new city area.

Here are some local snacks you cannot miss.

A'an yogurt

A'an yogurt is one of the two well-known yogurts in Lijiang. It features a fresh and lush fragrance, and can go with sweet jumble beads and fruit. A touch of honey will do magic to the taste. The yak yoghurt is another delicious choice priced at 5 yuan ($0.80) per bottle.

Chickpeas jelly

Chickpeas jelly is either fried or served cold and dressed with sauce.

Lijiang stuffed bun

This is a distinctive snack loved by the Naxi people. It carries a long history and is made of local fine wheat powders, hams, lard and sugar.

Dried rib hotpot

You can find many dried rib hotpot restaurants at the east gate of Xiangshan Market. The preserved ribs, with celery, tomato and Chinese chives, are tasty but a little salty. Ribs are better than chives. Some restaurants use ribs and might serve the dish in smaller portions, while some use chine in bigger portions.

Salmon

There are some good salmon restaurants on Huama Street. Lijiang has the biggest salmon breeding facility nationwide. Nothing could be better than Lijiang's glacier water for breeding salmon. The salmon fries are imported from Norway, and the grown-up fish have especially fresh and tender meat, much different from frozen ones. The dish is offered at a cheap price, and fish is cooked right after being killed. There are three ways to enjoy the fish. The fish bone can be boiled to make soup. Fish skin can be deep fried, and the fish meat can be made into sashimi.