Spice island

A staff member of the Bai ethnic group presents a Yunnan dish at The Four Seasons Restaurant of Minzu Hotel.

Festival highlights Yunnan cuisine

Yunnan, the province that includes 25 ethnic minority groups, is China's gold mine of culinary diversity and tradition. The Four Seasons Restaurant of Minzu Hotel has brought together a team of professional chefs from the southeast province to give Beijing foodies a feast of the region's food through Aug 24.

It's now peak harvest time in Yunnan's remote mountain valleys for mushrooms, rich in amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients. Among an array of mushroom dishes I tried the other day, I most liked a sashimi-style cold dish of slices of truffles and lobed kudzu-vine root. The cream-colored root slices were so crisp and full of a revitalizing grassy aroma that I kept wanting more.

I also tried Eryuan-style perch with carved greengage plums. Eryuan is a place in Yunnan that is well-known for carved greengage, or greengage marinated with sugar and honey, a traditional food of the Bai ethnic group, the largest ethnic group living there.

Yunnan people believe greengages can stimulate saliva, quench thirst, and increase appetite. They also are rich in vitamins.

Jianshui-styled steamed chicken, another signature dish of Yunnan, had tender meat that was delicious, but the gold-colored soup was the highlight: lightly seasoned, fresh and flavorful with a meaty aroma.

In addition to the food, the festival features engaging performances of song and dance in Yunan style.