Gia Lai Province

Dry pho with noodles served separately from the broth - tossed with pork mince, fried shallots, and hoisin sauce then dipped into a clear bone broth on the side, unlike any pho found elsewhere in Vietnam

Rice vermicelli with fermented field crab paste broth - thick, pungent, and deeply savoury, a Gia Lai highland adaptation of the Mekong Delta classic using locally caught stream crabs instead of river crabs

Dipping salt mixed with crushed weaver ants harvested from highland forest trees - tangy, citrusy, and intensely aromatic, used as a condiment with grilled meat and river fish across the Central Highlands

Hotpot cooked with wild forest leaves foraged by Gia Rai and Ba Na communities - each leaf adds a different bitter, sour, or aromatic note, eaten with pork or fish at rustic highland restaurants in Pleiku

Rice vermicelli served with a thick fermented anchovy dipping sauce, sliced pork, green mango, and fresh herbs - the Gia Lai highland version is spicier and more pungent than the coastal Da Nang style

Beef marinated in lemongrass, mắc khén, and wild garlic then grilled inside a bamboo tube over open fire - the bamboo seals in the juices while smoking the meat gently, a Gia Rai specialty eaten at highland festivals and roadside restaurants around Pleiku