Quảng Trị Province

Thick flat rice noodle soup unique to Quảng Trị - hand-pressed noodles wider than bánh canh simmered in a pork and shrimp broth, topped with pork slices and spring onion oil, a provincial breakfast that rarely appears outside the province

Turmeric-yellow noodle soup unique to Quảng Trị - rice vermicelli in a golden broth coloured and flavoured with fresh turmeric, simmered with pork bones and lemongrass, topped with pork slices, fried tofu, and fresh herbs, the deep turmeric flavour distinguishing it from any other noodle soup on the central coast

Thick rice flour porridge unique to Quảng Trị - ground rice flour stirred into a pork and shrimp broth until it thickens into a silky, slightly gelatinous consistency unlike regular rice porridge, topped with fried shallots, spring onion, and pork crackling, a provincial breakfast that confounds visitors expecting normal cháo

Rice vermicelli with baby mussels from Mai Xá village on the Thạch Hãn River - the tiny river mussels are stir-fried with lemongrass and chilli then piled over cold noodles with fermented shrimp paste, pork crackling, and fresh herbs, a Quảng Trị specialty tied to the river villages that survived the DMZ war years

Buffalo meat wrapped and grilled in lá trơng - a wild leaf found in Quảng Trị's highland forests that imparts a distinctive herbal, slightly astringent fragrance into the meat as it chars over charcoal, a Vân Kiều and Pa Cô minority specialty from the mountainous western districts bordering Laos

Whistle-shaped steamed rice flour cakes unique to Quảng Trị - named for their resemblance to a tin whistle, made by pressing rice dough through a mould into boiling water then served with a sweet mung bean filling and coconut milk drizzle, a traditional Quảng Trị sweet eaten at festivals and markets that is slowly disappearing