Dali Shengpi (Bai Raw Pork)

Dali shengpi, called "heige" in Bai meaning "raw meat," is a traditional Bai speciality in which pork is seared over a straw fire until the skin turns golden, then sliced thin and eaten raw with a secret dipping sauce, the skin crisp and the flesh fresh, a singular and festive dish on the Bai table.

The dish reaches back to the Nanzhao era and is linked to the ancient hunting culture of the Bai; it was once the highest courtesy, brought out only for honoured guests, weddings and festivals, and in 2023 "Dali shengpi" was inscribed on the intangible cultural heritage list of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

A freshly killed pig is singed over straw fire to remove its hair, then the skin and tenderloin are sliced thin and dipped in a sour-spicy sauce of stewed plum, sour papaya, soy, chilli, Sichuan peppercorn and garlic, each bite bright and appetising, fresh and crisp, most often tasted in a Bai village home or a local eatery.

The straw-fire searing, the daring of raw eating, the sour-spicy bright sauce, and the meaning of "the Bai's highest courtesy" are the most vivid marks of Dali shengpi.