Wild vegetables come to the city.

Wandering through the small markets in the central districts of the province these days, one easily encounters women carrying baskets overflowing with wild vegetables. There are dark green wild bitter gourds, succulent fig leaves, tender green toad shoots, and fresh bamboo shoots, all neatly bundled with wild fern shoots. The supply is limited, and the price of wild vegetables is much higher than cultivated vegetables, but they are still highly sought after. This is because these "gifts from nature" always possess a unique quality and special flavor that leaves a lasting impression on those who taste them.

Bep leaves are a popular wild vegetable at the stall of Mrs. H. Tien Nie in Ea Kao ward.

For those trying it for the first time, the taste of wild vegetables might be a little strange, slightly bitter or pungent. After a few tries, you'll gradually get used to it and then become "addicted" without even realizing it. Some people wander from the central market of Buon Ma Thuot to Tan Thanh market and then to Ea Tam market to find a bunch of wild vegetables but still can't find any. Yet sometimes, by chance, on the way home, passing through Ale A village (Ea Kao ward), they see Mrs. H. Tien Nie unloading bunches of vegetables from her basket to sell as dusk falls.

Ms. H. Tien Nie shared: Wild vegetables were originally the main food of the people, and they only picked enough to eat and share with their neighbors. But there were so many vegetables that if they weren't picked, they would get old. Conversely, the more they picked, the younger and more sprouted they became, so people picked them to sell in the city or exchange them for dried fish, salt, rice... Thanks to this, wild vegetables gradually became known and appreciated by city dwellers, and their value increased over time.

The rainy season is the season for wild vegetables in Dak Lak .

Ms. Phan Thi Hong, an employee at a restaurant on Nguyen Khuyen Street (Buon Ma Thuot ward), shared: " Tourists and locals alike enjoy dishes made from wild vegetables such as stir-fried wild vegetables with garlic, wild vegetable soup, boiled wild vegetables with dipping sauce... The restaurant connects with some locals who sell wild vegetables in Akô Dhông village, Alê A village… to place orders to ensure a quality supply of ingredients and retain customers."

Besides being used as main ingredients, wild vegetables are also indispensable components in traditional dishes, creating the distinctive flavor of Dak Lak cuisine . For example, the fragrant leaves of the *E* plant are used to marinate meat, season bitter melon dishes, and as a spice in *E* leaf fish sauce. *Giang* leaves add a sour taste to fish soup, chicken soup, etc.

Beyond its rustic charm, wild vegetables from Dak Lak have become a local specialty, infiltrating the meals of the people and captivating even distant visitors. Enjoying dishes from the forest is not just a culinary experience, but also a journey of cultural discovery, where each person finds and feels the essence of the mountains, forests, people, and the hospitable land of Dak Lak.

Thanh Truc

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202509/rau-rung-ra-pho-cda1019/