Top 10 Most Famous Specialties of Pleiku

If you travel along the Krông Pa district and Ayun Pa town (Gia Lai), you will easily spot roadside stalls selling Golden Ant Salt. This unique salt is made from golden ants, a species with long legs and a yellowish body, which build nests on trees in mountainous regions. This dish has been around for a long time and is recognized as a specialty of the highlands due to its distinctive flavor. Although the appearance of the salt might be off-putting to some at first, once you taste it, you'll experience a fascinating combination of sour, spicy, savory, and sweet notes. Golden Ant Salt is a must-try delicacy when visiting Gia Lai – you can even take it home as a gift or enjoy it over time. The process of making this salt is labor-intensive. To collect the ants, locals cover themselves to avoid getting stung, then use a pole with a sharp blade to cut the ant nest. Once the nest is harvested, the ants are quickly placed in a hot pot to kill them, and then roasted and ground with chili, salt, and monosodium glutamate. This unique salt is commonly paired with sun-dried beef for a perfect combination of flavors.

One of the most iconic dishes of Gia Lai is sun-dried beef paired with golden ant salt, a unique seasoning that enhances the flavor of this delicious dish. Anyone who has had the chance to try this specialty will forever remember the combination of spiciness, sweetness, and tenderness of the beef. The beef is cut into large, hand-sized pieces and seasoned carefully. This step is crucial in determining the taste of the sun-dried beef, as over-seasoning or under-seasoning can ruin the flavor and make it hard to preserve. The seasoning typically includes a touch of sugar, salt, seasoning powder, and freshly ground chili. After marinating for about an hour, the beef is then sun-dried for a full day. The drying process firms up the meat, giving it a beautiful reddish-brown color. Sun-dried beef is widely available throughout Gia Lai, and no visit to the region is complete without tasting this delicious dish with golden ant salt on the side.

This dish is popularly known as Tiên Sơn Grilled Chicken because the restaurant is located in Têng village (Tân Sơn commune, Pleiku City). Grilling each chicken requires sitting by the charcoal fire for about two hours. The chicken is cooked by the heat from the fire, which prevents it from burning and preserves its tender, juicy texture. The key to perfecting the chicken is rotating it continuously to ensure it cooks evenly and turns golden brown.

This is a famous specialty of Pleiku, also known as cơm lam, often served in mountain regions, especially in Kon Tum and Gia Lai. The dish is simple but delicious: fresh bamboo tubes (or rattan or other local types) are sealed at one end, then filled with soaked glutinous rice. The tube is then wrapped with banana leaves or wild leaves and placed over the fire until the rice is cooked. The skillful cooking ensures that the rice is neither undercooked nor mushy.

Cơm lam offers a distinct flavor compared to regular rice, thanks to the traditional cooking method. What makes it even more irresistible is that it’s often served alongside grilled chicken. The unique fragrance of bamboo tube rice, the sweetness of honey-soaked chicken, and the spicy kick from chili create a satisfying meal that you can’t resist. Cơm lam from Pleiku is also a popular souvenir for tourists because it’s affordable, convenient, and absolutely delicious.

Crab Fermented Vermicelli, also known as 'stinky crab noodles', is one of Gia Lai's most intriguing delicacies that piques the curiosity of travelers. The name itself hints at the dish's distinct and strong odor. This pungent aroma comes from the crab broth, which is prepared in a special way unique to Gia Lai.

The crabs are carefully selected, thoroughly cleaned, and their shells are removed. The bodies are then ground up and the liquid is extracted. The resulting crab broth is left to ferment for 24 hours, turning dark and developing a strong, aromatic scent that can fill an entire neighborhood during preparation.

When served, the dish appears simple—just a small serving of fresh noodles and climbing bamboo shoots, topped with crispy pork skin, fried onions, and peanuts. Similar to another regional dish, the vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste, this dish requires mixing everything together thoroughly before eating. As you mix, the crab's fermented scent intensifies, which can be overwhelming for some. If you're up for the challenge, give this dish a try to experience its unique flavor firsthand.

Gia Lai is a culturally diverse region, home to not only the Kinh people but also many other ethnic groups from across the 54 ethnicities of Vietnam. When you visit the Central Highlands, aside from exploring the communal longhouses, you are bound to encounter Can Wine, a traditional specialty and a symbol of the region's culture.

The ingredients of Can Wine are simple and humble, sourced directly from the land and the forests of the Central Highlands. The primary components are sticky rice, corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes, combined with a special ferment made from the leaves and roots of certain plants found in the forest. These roots, along with ginger and chili, are ground into a paste and mixed with rice, forming small balls. Alternatively, dried vines with thorns, resembling betel vines, are used as the ferment base. Once the mixture is dried and ground, it is shaped into larger balls, similar in size to a hen's egg. A single ball of this ferment is enough for each jar. After distillation, the Can Wine is buried underground to mature, and the longer it is aged, the more flavorful it becomes. When it's time to drink, water is simply added to dilute it, unlike traditional spirits that need to be distilled again.

Grilled Beef in Bamboo Tube is a unique dish that blends the flavors of various wild herbs, creating an unforgettable taste experience. Pleiku, with its pristine beauty, cool weather, and picturesque landscapes, attracts many visitors not only for its natural charm but also for its rich and diverse cuisine.

For the locals in Gia Lai, this dish is a simple yet incredibly flavorful treat. First-timers are often left speechless by the taste, with some even becoming so enchanted that they forget the way home. To achieve the best flavor for this dish, most local people use young, tender beef. As for preparation, the beef is cooked in several ways, but grilling it brings out a distinctive flavor. The grilled beef doesn’t have a smoky smell. Instead, it combines the natural sweetness of the meat with the fragrant aroma of the wild herbs, making it even more tempting.

People in Gia Lai usually enjoy this dish with É leaf salt, sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes, while sitting around a crackling fire, sipping on Can Wine. If you have the chance to experience it like the locals, it’s truly a memorable experience.

Dry Pho Gia Lai is a signature dish of Pleiku, also known as 'Two-Bowl Pho,' consisting of a bowl of dry pho noodles and a separate bowl of clear broth. Unlike pho from Saigon, the noodles here are finer, similar to rice vermicelli, but firmer and slightly chewier. The broth is crystal-clear with a sweet, delicate flavor that results from simmering pork and beef bones for hours, with constant skimming to ensure clarity.

A proper bowl of dry pho features small, firm noodles mixed with minced beef sautéed with onions, and garnished with crispy fried shallots for extra flavor. The dish is then dressed with dark soy sauce and the sautéed beef and shallots, creating a delicious, savory combination. The accompanying broth is a flavorful blend of bone stock and tender slices of rare beef, making it a memorable experience. One of the top spots to try this dish is Lai Hong Pho at 22-24 Nguyen Trai, which has been highly recommended on popular food forums. Other places to try include Pho on Nguyen Du Street and Pho Cao Lan Nghi Xuan.

The lush, untouched forests of Gia Lai are home to many rare and valuable resources, and one such treasure is the Lingzhi mushroom. This medicinal herb is highly sought after for its numerous health benefits:

• Helps regulate blood pressure
• Balances cholesterol levels
• Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases
• Supports liver and kidney function
• Prevents respiratory issues such as asthma
• Boosts immunity and helps fight off bacterial infections like the flu
• Relieves pain and prevents recurring shingles
• Strengthens the immune system in patients
• Reduces stress and fatigue

Despite its many health benefits, Lingzhi mushrooms are not to be consumed carelessly. Users should educate themselves about the proper dosage for their body. The mushroom can be used in various forms, such as boiling to make a tea, soaking in alcohol, or grinding it into powder to brew with tea. Lingzhi is also a wonderful gift to bring back for loved ones after visiting Gia Lai.

The 'Wild Forest Leaf Stew' was first created by the E De people in this region, when life was much harder. To provide for their daily meals, the E De people would venture into the forests to gather various leaves to cook into a nourishing soup. Over time, this dish has evolved into a beloved specialty of the indigenous people. The sharp, spicy flavor of fresh leaves, combined with the sweetness of various spices, makes this stew unforgettable for anyone who has tasted it. Nowadays, wild leaf stew is quite rare, with forest leaf salads being more commonly enjoyed instead.

The wild leaf salad of the Central Highlands – a dish included in the top 10 Vietnamese specialties recognized for its Asian culinary value in 2013 – is truly remarkable. True to its name, the dish consists almost entirely of different types of leaves. It is estimated that a traditional wild leaf salad platter in Pleiku, the City of Mountains, contains up to 30 different types of leaves such as: mustard greens, perilla, fig, linseed, myrtle, onion, mint, and more. Some of these leaves are unique to the mountains and forests of the Central Highlands.