Rushan cheese

Grilled rushan

Rushan (乳扇; pinyin: rǔshān, lit. "milk fan") is a cow's milk cheese of Yunnan, China. It is traditionally made by the Bai people, who call it nvxseiz (or Yenx seinp, in another dialect of Bai), the etymology of which is unclear. A plausible etymology is as follows. Yenx is a merged pronunciation of two words "ye" (eat) and "nox" (able), i.e. edible. "Seinp" means "thread", from the impression of the stretching process during the preparation of Rushan. The early Chinese name of rushan is ruxian, literally dairy thread, offering further support for the etymology. The current Chinese name rushan comes from the phonetic translation of seinp to shan (Yunnan dialect of Chinese: san)with Chinese denotation of Ru (dairy).

It is flat and has a leathery texture. It may be served fried or grilled and rolled up on a stick.^photo The Mandarin name means "milk fan" as it is said to resemble a folding fan.

When served grilled (often as a street food), it is usually spread with various sweet condiments and rolled around a stick, resembling a popsicle. Some of the popular toppings include sweetened condensed milk, rose petal infused honey, chocolate syrup, and fruit preserves.

If it is served deep fried, the cheese changes its texture and becomes somewhat flaky.

See also

• Rubing