From the Hui Muslim noodle-makers of the northwest, to home cooking, foraging, and tea cultivation in rural Yunnan, this is a journey not just for the adventurous palate, but for the head and  heart. We travel to farms, temples, street stalls, and kitchens of all sizes to learn about China’s rich and varied food traditions and how food is connected to concepts of body and health, religious beliefs, identity, and China’s turbulent history.

Program Highlights

• Learn about China’s regional, ethnic, and religious diversity through the lens of culinary traditions.
• Live with Naxi families in Yunnan Province and learn with home cooks in wood-fire kitchens.
• Learn about Traditional Chinese Medicine and its relationship to food. Enjoy a meal in Chengdu that features medicinal dishes and ingredients, while studying Chinese concepts of eating for health.
• Listen to elders share stories of survival through famine and hardship; forage for wild ingredients for which southern Yunnan province is renowned.
• Hike to a mountainside temple to eat and learn about Chinese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine.