Dali is perhaps most well-known for dishes historically cooked by the Bai, one of its ethnic minority groups, and should certainly not be missed by those stopping in the area. However, the city is a melting-pot for many different cultures, and offers visitors the chance to sample numerous foods from around Yunnan Province and other Chinese delicacies.
Fish Hotpot or Casserole Dish
Among all these delicacies of Dali, the most flavorful is fish hotpot. Fish is cooked in an earthenware pot accompany with tofu, vegetables, meat balls, and ingredients. Bai people are very good at cooking fish and the fish hotpot is the soul of Bai fish dish. It is a kind of regale for entertaining guests in Bai families. Fish is caught from Erhai Lake. Almost all tourists to Dali are delighted of having Dali fish hotpot.
Dali Dairy Products
Dali dairy industry is hot. The most famous dairy product is Deng Chuan Ru Shan. Deng Chuan dairy products are widely known in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan. Almost every family of Deng Chuan, Dali Autonomous Prefecture breeds milk cows, so Deng Chuan gets the praise of "town of milk cows.
Every person who has been to Dali is familiar to Ru Shan. Ru Shan is a kind of fan-shaped diary with much fat and high nutrition value. It is savory too. Ru Shan including milk white color and milk yellow color is the traditional food for Bai people. There are many cooking methods for Ru Shan like dry-frying, baking, boiling, stir-frying, and deep-frying, etc. Ru Shan is easily to be found such as street vendors, local families or restaurants.
Dali Snacks
Dali plums are very delicious. The breeds are varied. The plums can cooked with dishes such as steamed with meat. There are also carved plums, which are not only tasty in taste, but also nice in appearance.
Dali Erkuai or Ersi is a type rice cake particular to Dali, Yunnan. Erkuai is a rice based food literally means "ear piece". Erkuai or Ersi refers to the different shapes. Erkuai is ear-piece shaped, while, Ersi is thread shaped. They often served stir-fried with vegetables, spicy ingredients, fiery sauce of dried red chili, peppercorn, and salt, etc. You will find them grilled and rolled around fried bread stick liked local breakfast from street booths. They look like rolled-up snacks.
Stewed Carp Casserole
This dish is commonly served as a main course in this area. It combines 28 different ingredients and numerous seasonings to create a dish that is both a treat for the taste-buds and nutritious.
Steamed Chicken
This typical Yunnan food is steamed in a pot using tender chicken and a variety of traditional Chinese herbs. This delectable dish is also said to have medicinal qualities.
Er Kuai
Er Kuai is one of the most conventional local foods, a rice-based dish. The rice is first washed, soaked, stewed and then mashed into a paste, before being molded into various lumps, slices and shreds. It is usually grilled over burning charcoals with a sugar, walnut, or sesame filling.
Xizhou baba
A baked pie made of wheat flour that can be found in Xizhou town of Dali city. The charcoal-baked pie, which has an addictive crispy exterior, comes in sweet and salty options.
Most people prefer the sweet one, which has a red bean filling that is mixed with rose sauce. I found that the salty option, which is filled with minced preserved pork or ham and topped with chopped scallion, was just as delicious.
Dali Beverages
Three Courses Tea
Tea is the most popular drink among the Bai. It is commonly drunk as part of a ceremony involving three servings. The first cup of tea tastes bitter, the second is sweeter, while the third cup has added seasoning for a more fragrant, lingering aftertaste. This way of tea drinking can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The three servings of bitterness, followed by sweetness and finally an aromatic aftertaste are supposed to act as metaphors as part of a philosophy on life.
One of the best places for visitors to sample the tea ceremony for themselves is Yan's Compound in Xizhou Village. Yan's is served by minibuses departing from both Xiaguan and Dali Ancient City. This type of ceremony can also be enjoyed on a number of the cruise ships on the Erhai Lake, and is often accompanied by performances of traditional Bai songs and dances.
Others
In Dali Old Town, Western food is widely available and cheap. For a traditional Chinese meal served catering for four people along with beer expect to pay ¥220-260. Western meals average around ¥60-80, including a bottle of local beer. Breakfast prix fixe menus are served everywhere and average around ¥20-30 including coffee.
Fruit stands and corner stores abound. Try to get a feel for prices before buying if you want to avoid paying exorbitant prices. You can buy apples for ¥12-18/1 kg(1.1 lb), a bottle of water for ¥2.5 and noodles/dumplings for ¥9-12/plate.