Lijiang

là páigǔ huǒguō

Pork ribs that have been salted and air-dried in Lijiang's cold dry winter air, then simmered for hours into a clear bone broth that becomes a table hotpot. You add potatoes, mint, greens and tofu to the pot as you eat.

Tastes like: Deeply savoury and salty-meaty rather than spicy, with a clean soup and meat that falls off the bone; the dipping sauce beside it carries the chilli.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork throughout — the broth itself is pork bone, so there is no way to make this halal or vegetarian; dipping sauces usually contain soy sauce and sometimes fermented bean paste.

Might not be for you: The ribs are served bone-in and must be gnawed; the cured meat has a pronounced aged, almost ham-like funk that reads as 'old' to some first-timers.

Where: Xiangshan Market (象山市场) north of the Old Town is the local cluster of rib-hotpot specialists; Old Town restaurants charge roughly double.

jī dòu liáng fěn

A grey-brown jelly set from local 'chicken bean' (a small highland chickpea) flour, cut into slabs and either served cold in a vinegar-chilli dressing or pan-fried until crisp outside and molten inside.

Tastes like: Mild, faintly nutty and bean-like on its own; the flavour comes from the sour-savoury-chilli dressing poured over it.

Not on the menu but in it: The dressing often contains soy sauce and sometimes a spoon of pork-based chilli oil at meat-eating stalls; ask if this matters to you.

Might not be for you: The cold version has a slippery, wobbly texture that some Western eaters find odd; the grey colour puts people off before they taste it.

Where: Street stalls all through Dayan Old Town and Shuhe; about 8-10 CNY a plate.

lìjiāng bābā

A thick, layered wheat flatbread the size of a side plate, griddled slowly in a flat pan. It comes savoury (with ham or spring onion) or sweet (with sugar, sesame and walnut).

Tastes like: Rich and buttery-flaky, like a dense pastry; the savoury version is salty and hammy, the sweet one is sugary and nutty.

Not on the menu but in it: Traditionally made with rendered pork lard (化油) in the dough — this applies to the sweet version too, which catches out vegetarians and halal eaters.

Might not be for you: Very greasy by Western breakfast standards; the savoury one is extremely salty.

Where: Griddle stalls on Sifang Street and throughout the Old Town lanes.

mǐ guàn cháng

Pig's blood mixed with cooked rice and local spices, stuffed into cleaned pig intestine, then sliced into coins and either steamed or shallow-fried.

Tastes like: Savoury, iron-rich and mildly spiced; the fried version is crisp-edged and soft in the middle.

Not on the menu but in it: Pig's blood and pork intestine are the dish, not a garnish; usually fried in pork fat.

Might not be for you: Blood sausage plus intestine casing is a double hurdle for many visitors — the metallic blood note is unmistakable.

Where: Naxi home-style restaurants and the Xiangshan Market food stalls.

chuī zhūgān

A Naxi banquet cold dish: pig's liver is inflated with a spiced marinade, air-dried over a fire, then sliced paper-thin and dressed with chilli, vinegar and coriander.

Tastes like: Intensely savoury and mineral, sharpened by sour-spicy dressing; dense and slightly chewy.

Not on the menu but in it: It is pork offal start to finish; the marinade typically includes liquor and soy.

Might not be for you: Strong offal flavour and a cured, almost gamey smell. This is probably the hardest Naxi dish for a Western palate.

Where: Naxi courtyard restaurants that serve the traditional 'Three Layers of Water' (三叠水) banquet.

hēi shānyáng huǒguō

Highland black goat, bone and all, slow-cooked in its own broth with ginger and local herbs and brought to the table as a bubbling hotpot.

Tastes like: Rich, gamey and warming, with a strong goat aroma; the broth is unctuous rather than spicy.

Not on the menu but in it: Usually just goat, but dipping sauces contain soy and sometimes fermented tofu. Not automatically halal — the slaughter is not certified.

Might not be for you: Pronounced goat smell, lots of bone and skin-on fatty cuts, and offal is often included in the pot by default.

Where: Goat hotpot restaurants in the New Town (新城), where locals eat it; it is a cold-weather dish.

lìjiāng sānwényú yī yú sān chī

Farmed highland rainbow trout — confusingly called 'salmon' locally — served as sashimi, with the skin deep-fried for dipping in pepper-salt, and the head and bones made into a soup or hotpot.

Tastes like: Clean and faintly sweet raw; the fried skin is crisp and salty; the bone soup is milky and mild.

Not on the menu but in it: Dipping sauce is soy-and-wasabi based; the hotpot broth may be started with chicken or pork stock.

Might not be for you: It is raw freshwater fish from a landlocked highland farm — a genuine food-safety judgement call, and cooked preparations are the safer order.

Where: Trout specialists in Shuhe Old Town and on the road toward Lashihai; sold by weight.

nàxī chǎo ěrkuài / chǎo mǐxiàn

Flat rice cake slices (erkuai) or round rice noodles stir-fried hard in a wok with ham, egg, pickled greens and chilli.

Tastes like: Savoury, smoky from the wok, with a sour kick from the pickles and a chewy bite.

Not on the menu but in it: Almost always cooked with Yunnan cured ham (pork) and in lard; even the 'vegetable' version often gets a spoonful of pork fat.

Might not be for you: Nothing difficult — this is the safe, reliable order when the rest of the menu looks intimidating.

Where: Any small noodle shop in the Old Town or New Town; 12-20 CNY.

yěshēng jùn huǒguō

A seasonal (roughly June to September) pot of chicken broth loaded with foraged highland mushrooms — porcini, chanterelle, matsutake and many with no English name.

Tastes like: Earthy, deeply umami and aromatic; the broth gets better the longer it cooks.

Not on the menu but in it: The base is chicken or pork bone stock, often with cured ham slices, so it is not vegetarian despite looking like a vegetable dish.

Might not be for you: Staff will insist on a strict boiling time before you eat — undercooked wild mushrooms genuinely cause hallucinations and hospital visits in Yunnan every summer. Follow their timer.

Where: Mushroom hotpot restaurants in the New Town during mushroom season; prices rise steeply for matsutake.