Falling in love with Yunnan starts from Dehong, and falling in love with Dehong starts from food! When we first arrived in Dehong during the "National 100 Media Talents Yunnan Tour" event, Director Yang of the local Culture and Tourism Bureau enthusiastically recommended that Dehong is the last secret place for Yunnan tourism, and Dehong food is the ceiling of Yunnan food. The barbecue here is better than that in Zibo. There are more than 40 ethnic minorities living here, among which the Dai, Jingpo, Achang, Lisu, and Deang are ethnic minorities who have lived here for generations. Each ethnic group has its own special food.
Among the many foods in Dehong, the most representative and worthwhile one is the Peacock Banquet. Why? There are several reasons. First, Dehong is a famous peacock town. The peacock banquet is a perfect combination of peacock culture and food culture. It is undoubtedly necessary to try the peacock banquet when traveling to Dehong. In fact, the peacock banquet is not a dish, but a collection of Dehong delicacies, including the special delicacies of many ethnic groups such as Dai, Jingpo, Achang, Lisu, and Deang. It can be said that you can eat all of Dehong at one table, and you can appreciate Dehong's food culture in the shortest time. In addition, the peacock banquet is an experience of ethnic unity in Dehong. Dozens of dishes are arranged in five layers in sequence. Each layer is composed of dishes from the five ethnic minorities living in Dehong Prefecture, namely Dai, Jingpo, Deang, Lisu, and Achang. Each dish represents a national culture, each bite is full of rich history and stories, and each dish is memorable. Many restaurants in Dehong offer peacock banquets. The place we went to is located at the entrance of the Dai Ancient Town. The restaurant has many specifications of peacock banquets. The cheapest is only 192 yuan, and the most expensive is 1088 yuan. It is a set meal for 8-12 people, which includes more than 20 kinds of delicious dishes and brings together the specialties of various ethnic groups in Dehong.
We are quite a large group, so we chose the 1088 set meal, which includes more than 20 different dishes, including Dai water-splashing baba, signature roast chicken, shabu-shabu beef jerky, fried golden worms, Jingpo ghost chicken, roasted pork belly, Dai lemongrass roasted spareribs, Dehong fried locusts, cold tree sweaters, cold tree butterflies, old Yunnan-Myanmar fried bubble skin, handmade pumpkin cakes, Dai drunkard peanuts, Dai pineapple rice, etc.
Different specifications of peacock banquet packages have different quantities and portions of dishes. These small dishes with the characteristics of Dehong's ethnic minorities and modernity are gathered on one table. The cold and hot meat and vegetables, fried and stir-fried, and deep-fried are reasonably matched, and the color, aroma, taste and shape are all included. This table of peacock banquet highlights the ethnic and regional culture of Dehong, so tasting the peacock banquet is an indispensable part of traveling to Dehong.
However, it should be noted that the peacock banquet looks beautiful and tastes good, but not everyone likes it, because the local water and soil nurture the local people. Dehong is located in the southwest, where the climate is relatively hot and humid, so the food here is also characterized by raw, cold, sour and spicy, mostly traditional flavors of appetizing, dehumidifying and clearing heat. Not to mention that many insects in it are not acceptable to everyone, even the raw, cold, sour and spicy taste is not liked by everyone, so everyone focuses on experience. If you like it, eat more, and if you don’t like it, just taste it. This is the only way to truly understand Dehong’s food culture.
It is understood that the Peacock Feast is also keeping pace with the times according to people's needs. For example, after the Peacock Feast is completed, the staff will add some dry ice in the middle of the ingredients, making the whole "peacock" seem to fly in a fairyland surrounded by clouds and mist, so as to enhance the visual impact of diners. At the same time, the staff will sing toast songs next to them and perform folk songs and dances on the stage, adding a bit of cultural atmosphere to the Peacock Feast. Just like Guangdong people have to listen to Cantonese opera for morning tea, and good restaurants in Chongqing have face-changing performances, eating the Peacock Feast in Dehong not only tastes special food, but also appreciates national culture. It is naturally an unforgettable food experience.
Tips:
1. The per capita consumption of the Peacock Feast is about 90 yuan;
2. The Peacock Feast is mainly raw, cold, sour and spicy. Some dishes are not acceptable to everyone. If you are picky about taste, you can add a few hot dishes you like; #National 100 Media Talents Yunnan Travel #Local Food Dai Ancient Town