Rich in the flavor of the great forest

Fifteen years ago, I left my hometown in the Central region, carrying with me the baggage of a person who started a business in the new homeland of Dak Lak. Although it was far away and strange, the red basalt soil held people back with many things, including the cuisine of the indigenous people.

The first memories of visiting the village and enjoying local cuisine are still deeply engraved in my subconscious. The rustic dishes made from mountain and forest products such as bitter eggplant pounded with salt and chili, stir-fried cassava leaves, young squash shoots, papaya salad, yellow ant salt, dried fish, hill chicken, beef... all have the red and green color of crushed chili. Hidden in that spicy and bitter taste is a rich, sweet flavor that stimulates the taste buds of the eater.

Indigenous cuisine attracts diners from all regions

In those days, it was not easy to enjoy such dishes. These rustic, unique dishes often only appeared in traditional local cultural festivals; village culinary events...

The pace of life is changing, the culinary needs are becoming more and more diverse in each person, each family. Now, the scent of charcoal stoves and the taste of the mountains and forests have crept from villages to cities, becoming an indispensable part of Dak Lak . Just walking around the streets of Tran Nhat Duat, Le Chan, Pham Ngu Lao, Le Duan, Vo Nguyen Giap... in the communes and wards in the province, it is easy to come across traditional culinary shops of the people. Depending on the needs of diners, the shops always have available rustic, familiar dishes such as boiled peanuts, boiled corn, fragrant grilled potatoes, to typical dishes such as bitter melon salad, chicken braised with lemongrass and chili, grilled pork belly mixed with crushed chili salt...

The dishes also have subtle, practical variations. If in the past, the dishes focused on the traditional spicy and bitter taste, now, that taste has been adjusted and reduced to better suit the diverse tastes of tourists and people from other provinces.

Customers enjoy mountain-flavored cuisine at a restaurant on Le Chan Street, Buon Ma Thuot Ward.

Love food, but what impresses diners even more is the enthusiasm and excitement of the ama (father), amí (mother), amai (sister). Not only do they warmly invite, they are also willing to thoroughly introduce the ingredients and preparation methods. That enthusiasm not only creates closeness and retains customers, but also shows the hospitality of the people when introducing culinary quintessence to diners from all over the country.

Sharing about the business of traditional dishes in the heart of a bustling urban area, Ami Linh - a restaurant owner on Pham Ngu Lao Street said that the ingredients to make the dishes are often difficult to buy at the market, but must be "hunted" in the fields, in the families of the villages. It is a feat, but it is very happy to be known by customers. Even happier, because the ethnic cuisine has reached far beyond the village, loved and constantly supported by many people and tourists from all over the country.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/du-lich/202511/dam-da-huong-vi-dai-ngan-2eb00eb/