Ganba originated from Yunnan dialect, which means beef jerky. Gamba in Yunnan is divided into Hui, Tibetan and Dai. Dai beef jerky is made by smearing poppy seeds and salt on fresh beef, pickling and baking.

Since ancient times, the Hui people in Yunnan have had a tradition of feeding beef cattle and curing beef jerky. Cattle used for pickling soda should be specially raised about half a year in advance to make them fat. Generally, beef jerky is slaughtered in October and twelfth month of the lunar calendar. In Hui villages, cows are usually slaughtered in the early hours of the morning, and the whole village is like a festival when they are slaughtered. Cattle must be slaughtered by imams and called beef a "beef dish". Skinning cowhide is well trained. For example, a skilled worker cuts a cow into 24 "pieces" according to the muscle groups (12 pairs), which the Hui people in southern Yunnan call big meat, small meat, curved meat, back meat, tenderloin meat, rib meat, breast meat, outer plate meat and shoulder meat.