Yiliang roast duck is a famous Yunnan snack with a history of over 600 years.

It is said that the dish is not a truly Yunnan food but arose in Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, dispatched Li Haishan, a famous Yunnan goose chef, to cook for a troop he sent to unite Yunnan province.

But Zhu killed the leader of the troop for some reason when he came back to Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and the chef was too afraid to come back to his hometown.

So he opened a goose shop in Yiliang county, Yunnan province.

Yiliang roast duck, a famous Yunnan dish with a history of 600 years. [Photo/Xinhua]

The dish requires a refined cooking method. The fuel to roast the duck must be carefully selected pine twigs. Not until the twigs stop smoking should honey and pig oil be smeared on the duck skin.

Diners can enjoy the delicacy in many Kunming restaurants. In one famous eatery on Jianshe road customers are restricted to buying only one duck each time;a long queue can be seen in front of its door every day.