Rich and flavorful specialties of Dak Glong

The Dak Glong region ( Dak Nong province ) is home to many ethnic groups living together. Therefore, simply by traveling along National Highway 28, visitors can experience many unique cultural aspects and enjoy distinctive local cuisine.

Many tourists find the dishes unique, as they are prepared by the local people. The food often has a spicy and bitter taste. Therefore, if tourists find the food unsuitable, they should prepare some alternative food items.

Bamboo rice

First and foremost, there's sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes! Like many other ethnic communities in Vietnam, sticky rice is often featured in meals served to guests. This rice, cooked inside bamboo or reed tubes over a glowing fire, has both a chewy texture and a distinctive aroma.

Sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes has a chewy texture and a distinctive aroma.

Rice cooked in bamboo tubes (Cơm lam) is a simple dish, originating from the customs of the indigenous people who go into the forest and cultivate fields. Today, this rustic and simple rice dish is still favored by people because of its quick and easy cooking method.

Sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes is often prepared at festivals or important events.

Sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes tastes best with sesame salt (or sesame seed salt). In some places, people often make their own salt mixture to accompany it. This is a mixture of chili peppers grilled over hot coals, sawtooth coriander leaves, and shallots... Especially at festivals or important occasions, sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes is often served with grilled chicken.

Grilled chicken

The chickens selected for this dish are those weighing around 1.5-2kg, raised by local people. After cleaning, the chickens are simply prepared by marinating them with pepper, honey, and salt. Then, they are secured with bamboo sticks and grilled over charcoal until the skin turns golden brown and the meat is fragrant with spices.

Chicken grilled over charcoal fire.

Grilled chicken is considered a prized dish to serve guests, during important family events, and at festivals. When enjoying it, the chicken is torn into pieces and dipped in a mixture of crushed green chili and basil leaves. Grilled chicken is best enjoyed with rice wine!

Grilled chicken is often served with sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes.

Rice wine

This is a distinctive, traditional drink of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands. For the M'nong and Ma people, rice wine is brewed using a special yeast, the main ingredient of which is tree bark collected from the forest. Rice wine tastes best when brewed in ceramic jars for 6 months to 2 years.

Ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands make traditional rice wine.

Rice wine was formerly used in ceremonies, community gatherings, or important family occasions (such as weddings, funerals, and health celebrations). Currently, in Dak Glong, many households produce and supply rice wine to the market. With traditional methods, the flavor of rice wine retains the unique characteristics of the mountainous region.

Rice wine is used in rituals and community activities.

Bitter gourd soup with bamboo shoots

This is a popular dish among the M'nong, Ma, and K'Ho ethnic groups. In their meals, especially bitter eggplant and rattan shoots are cooked with "nhip" leaves (also known as "bep" leaves). All ingredients are sourced from the forest and prepared simply in large bamboo tubes. The dish is even more appealing when cooked with stream fish or cow or buffalo hide.

The ingredients are sourced from the forest.

When enjoying this dish, diners will experience the aroma of the bép leaves, the spiciness of the chili peppers, and the nutty, creamy taste of the rattan shoots. Especially with the first bite, diners will notice a bitter taste from the rattan shoots, which might seem unpleasant at first, but the sweetness quickly spreads, making them want another bite, and before they know it, they've become addicted.

All the ingredients are simply processed inside large bamboo tubes.

To suit the tastes of tourists, local restaurants have added or removed some spices, but this has not altered the distinctive flavor of the dish.

Stir-fried bamboo shoots with bép leaves, a specialty of the mountain forests.

Needlefish of Ta Dung Lake

When tourists visit Ta Dung Lake – "Ha Long Bay in the Central Highlands" – is a must-try for those who enjoy Ta Dung Lake needlefish. This is a small freshwater fish caught and processed by local households living on the lake. The needlefish are either sun-dried or arranged into large pieces and grilled over charcoal or hot oil.

Crispy fried needlefish, a specialty of Ta Dung Lake.

The Vietnam Record Organization has included Ta Dung Lake needlefish in the TOP 100 specialty dishes of Vietnam. This is a dish that tourists cannot miss when visiting Dak Glong.

Needlefish are caught by fishermen in Ta Dung Lake.

To enjoy this dish, visitors can take a boat directly to the fishing village or visit some restaurants along National Highway 28 such as Hai Phuong Restaurant (Quang Khe commune), K'Jang Restaurant (Dak Som commune)...

Content and photos: Le Phuoc
Presented by: Viet Dung

Ta Dung Lake

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/dam-da-cac-mon-an-dac-san-dak-glong-237888.html