On the western fringes

Yunnan, in the far south-west of the area, has an incredible diversity of landscapes and climates. The province is framed by the Tibetan highlands at its north-western edge, and there is a mix of tropical rainforests and volcanic plains to the south, with the centre criss-crossed by hills and valleys. It is home to a third of China’s ethnic minorities and, in culinary terms, has much in common with neighbouring Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. The Dai people occupy the lush lands of the Xishuangbanna region and have been cultivating rice, sugar cane and bananas here for centuries. Their diet features esoteric ingredients such as ants’ eggs and wild moss, and rice is often steamed inside hollowed bamboo stalks.