Most Dai people have the habit of eclipsing two meals, taking rice and glutinous rice as their staple food. Dehong Dai's staple food is japonica rice, while Xishuangbanna Dai's staple food is glutinous rice. Usually, it is eaten immediately. People believe that japonica rice and glutinous rice will not lose their original color and fragrance until they are eaten immediately, so they do not eat overnight rice or rarely eat it, and they are used to pinching rice with their hands.

Dai people are a people who live in a place with low altitude and wide area (commonly known as "bazi"). Due to the influence of climate, temperature and other natural factors, the most remarkable feature of the Dai people living on the dam is that they like sour food, so they are called "sour". In the famous recipes of the Dai people, almost all their famous dishes are inseparable from acid. As a seasoning, "acid" is both plant-based, such as bamboo shoots and limes; There are also animals, such as acid ants; There are also those made by chemical reactions, such as vinegar (homemade).

On the one hand, the Dai people's diet is acidophilic, which is related to their living areas. The Dai people live in hot and dry places. Acidic food can not only help digestion, but also stimulate appetite and prevent heatstroke. The Dai people are addicted to eating acid, which is gradually formed and preserved by overcoming natural factors such as high temperature in the process of fighting against nature. It is the simplest, most direct and most effective custom formed in the process of labor, and it is also the most conspicuous highlight in Dai food culture and a reflection that best reflects national characteristics.

Another feature of Dai food culture is "eating wild". The so-called "wild eating" means that the Dai people like to eat some wild animals and plants. There are animals in the menu of "eating wild" of Dai food culture, such as eating "Wendun" (a kind of insect living on the beach of Nujiang River) and cicada. There are also plants, such as wild bracken, spiny bud, fishy dish, citronella, and "swinging a stick" (a long green plant that eats its tender buds and is named after the Dai people's favorite food). These wild plants have the functions of clearing away lung heat, improving eyesight, strengthening brain and resisting aging. The characteristics of "eating wild" in the diet culture of the Dai people prove that the Dai people know and admire nature, which reflects a kind of indifferent, leisurely and casual psychological characteristics of the Dai people.