What to eat in Shangri-la, China

Shangri-La or Xianggelila is a county-level city in northwestern Yunnan province, People's Republic of China and is the location of the seat of the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Shangri-la is made up of Tibetan and many ethnic minorities which makes the foods here unique and have some Tibetan tastes.

Zanba

Zanba is the main dish of the Tibetan people, and is both nutritious and conveniently portable (can be taken anywhere), an important requirement for a people who live on a high plateau where neither naturally occurring are readily available. The dish is prepared by adding some zanba flour to a bit of tea that is poured into the zanba bowl, then spiked with ghee and white sugar – and if the trip is short, or during the first part of a long trip, also butter/ clarified butter, the latter of which is also often used in tea for drinking, aka buttered tea.

Butter Tea

Often drink it with Zanba, butter with tea plays a very important role in the diet structure of the Zang nationality. The Zang people drink it at least three times a day while some even more than ten times! It can produce a lot of heat so that Tibetans can withstand the cold weather and also can relieve thirst and promote fluid.

Yogurt

As a special dairy product in Tibetan family in Shangri-la, Yogurt is called ‘Shuo’ in Tibetan. It is highly nutritious and good for digestion. It is said that the regular taking of yogurt can promote your health and prolong your life.

Saimi Mutton (Sai Mi Yang Rou)

Saimi Mutton is only served for the Tibetan men returning from hunting. It is cooked by their wives to express their happiness and sweet love. The ingredients are eggs, sugar, wine, rapeseed oil and butter. This dish is gold with fresh, sweet and sour taste.

Guoben Hot Pot (Guo Ben Huo Guo)

Guoben means a kind of wild vegetable in Tibetan, growing high mountains in Shangri-la. It is nutritious and good for health. The main materials include Guoben, potatoes, boiled pork tripe, bean curd, boiled ham, tree mushrooms and Pipa Pork.

Read more: Become one with nature on a trip to Shangri-la

Source Internet