When it comes to Quang Tri, people often talk about its rich history and breathtaking landscapes. However, Quang Tri cuisine is equally impressive, with a variety of delicious local foods. If you’re wondering what to eat in Quang Tri, you’ll find plenty of options to choose from. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the 11 hottest Quang Tri local foods that you must try when visiting this beautiful province.
Buffalo Meat With Trong Leaves (Thịt trâu lá trơng)
This dish is named after its two main ingredients, which make it special: buffalo meat and trong leaves. Buffalo meat is known for its nutritional value and its ability to cure many ailments such as back pain, leg swelling, and rheumatism. Some even believe buffalo meat is better than beef. While there are many ways to prepare buffalo meat, none can match the taste of this dish from Quang Tri.
Combining the tender meat of young buffalo with the wild-growing trong leaves found throughout Quang Tri gives the dish a unique spicy aroma. The two most popular versions of the dish are grilled buffalo meat wrapped in trong leaves and buffalo meat stir-fried with trong leaves.
Those who prefer a soft, sweet, and aromatic taste can savor the grilled meat with vegetables, green pepper, and a dipping sauce of soy sauce mixed with chili. Those who want a more robust flavor can opt for the stir-fried meat. Both dishes are incredibly delicious, especially when enjoyed on cold, rainy days.
Song Chieu Restaurant and Hong Hoi Restaurant are two good places to enjoy this Quang Tri local food.
Intestines with Lemongrass (Lòng sả)
Intestines with lemongrass are one of the many delicacies from Quang Tri. Although the name may sound strange, the way it’s made is reminiscent of the northern Vietnamese dish “pork organ congee” (cháo lòng). To make this dish, first, pork or duck’s blood is minced. Then water is poured before the blood is mingled with roasted rice and mung beans. Pork or duck intestines are then cleaned, cut into small pieces, and added to the combination to cook.
However, this dish is quite spicy due to the addition of numerous chili peppers, making it quite hot and tongue-numbing. Locals in Quang Tri usually eat this Quang Tri local food on rainy days to keep warm. Or, when feeling unwell and needing to break into a sweat, this dish is a miraculous cure, not less effective than the onions and perilla porridge.
To savor this Quang Tri local food, head to O Yen Eatery.
Vat Giuong Porridge (Cháo vạt giường)
This Quang Tri local food is called porridge, but it’s not like regular porridge. This dish is cooked with snakehead fish and rice flour. Locals call it fish porridge, while those from afar often refer to it as “Vat Giuong porridge.”
If you stop by a small restaurant by the street, you’ll be satisfied with a bowl of Vat Giuong porridge at any time of the year. Here, there’s no concept that hot porridge can only be eaten during the cold season. Even at noon, under scorching heat, people from Quang Tri still enjoy their Vat Giuong porridge as usual.
A handful of Vat Giuong noodles, some fragrant snakehead fish, and some green onions, cilantro, and fresh chili poured into a broth – the porridge is ready for customers to savor. The spicy heat and tongue-burning sensation of the chili make this dish unforgettable.
Mai Xa baby basket clam vermicelli (Bún hến Mai Xá)
Mai Xa baby basket clam vermicelli is a specialty of Mai Xa village (Gio Mai, Gio Linh, Quang Tri). It’s called baby basket clam vermicelli, but the famous deliciousness comes from chat chat – a type of small, darker baby basket clam that is also eaten in Quang Binh. They look quite similar, so people who eat chat chat often think they’re eating baby basket clam vermicelli.
To make this dish, first, the chat chat is sautéed with fragrant scallions and spices, then simmered in water with a few pieces of ginger to create a delicious broth that’s light, slightly oily, and affordable. The vermicelli is placed in a bowl with a handful of herbs and cilantro on top, and the broth is poured over it.
When eating, remember to add some chili salt and ginger to make it more spicey. That’s how to truly enjoy this Quang Tri local food.
Two famous places to try this Quang Tri local food are Mai Xa village and Baby Basket Clam Noodle Soup Eatery at 52 Nguyen Chi Thanh.
Steamed Corn
To make this delicious Quang Tri local food, fresh and plump glutinous corn kernels that are shiny and bright yellow are chosen. Then the corn is cleaned and soaked overnight. In the early morning, people scoop them up and put them in a pot. Cook them gently over low heat with dry firewood. When the corn is cooked, turn up the heat and add the prepared seasoning, including boiled green beans, sugar, salt, pepper, and a little sesame.
Steamed corn is a unique and unforgettable dish from Quang Tri that you should not miss when visiting this place. You can find this dish sold on many streets in Quang Tri.
Lam Village Am Soup (Canh ám làng Lam)
Along with Ke Dien porridge, Phuong Lang steamed thin rice pancake, and Tra Tri fermented seafood sauce, Lam Village Am soup is always one of the culinary specialties of Hai Lang’s (Quang Tri) homeland.
Lam Village Am soup is made from two main ingredients: snakehead fish and raw vegetables. To make a delicious soup, the snakehead fish must be from the river, and if it has eggs, it’s even better. Raw vegetables must be freshly picked from the tree and thoroughly washed.
When enjoying this soup, you’ll taste a perfect combination of rich, sour, and slightly bitter flavors. Many people simply pour the soup over white rice, and it’s already delicious. People often eat this dish with raw vegetables. Quang Tri people eat this dish in their daily meals, on ancestral worship days, and during Tet holidays.
This dish originates from Lam Thuy village in Hai Vinh commune, Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province, so you can go to Hai Lang district to enjoy it.
Watercress (Rau xà lách xoong)
Watercress is abundant in the regions of Gio Linh, Vinh Linh, Cam Lo, and Huong Hoa, Quang Tri province.
Watercress can be cooked in many different ways. It can be used to make soup with fresh shrimp, boiled with fermented shrimp paste, eaten raw as a salad, or stir-fried with beef. However, the best way to enjoy it is probably stir-fried with beef.
To make this dish, the beef should be cooked and well-seasoned before adding the vegetables. This way, the vegetables will be crunchy and half-cooked. It tastes delicious.
Watercress is a rustic Quang Tri local food. If you visit this region, do not miss this delicious dish.
Crispy pancake (Bánh khoái)
Crispy pancakes from Quang Tri are made from rice flour and can be mixed with straw mushrooms or seafood. However, the most common filling is a simple combination of shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. These pancakes are small and made by hand, making them easy to eat. The crust is thick and crispy.
When eating crispy pancakes, the important things are the accompanying vegetables and the dipping sauce. The vegetables can vary by location, but the main ones are usually cabbage, bitter banana flowers, and sliced guava. The dipping sauce is the most attractive part. It is made from a unique recipe of ground pork liver, sesame seeds, minced garlic, chili powder, and other carefully selected seasonings. This sauce greatly enhances the flavor of the pancakes.
Saigon also has crispy pancakes, but the guava and unique taste of the dipping sauce can only be enjoyed in Quang Tri.
If you wonder where to eat this Quang Tri local food, try the O Chon eatery or Crispy Pancake Eatery at No. 28 on Highway 9.
My Chanh tapioca dumpling cake (Bánh bột lọc Mỹ Chánh)
My Chanh tapioca dumpling cake is a popular Quang Tri local food. This snack is made from finely ground cassava, with a filling that can include pork, chicken, shrimp, or mung beans. The most famous variation here is the My Chanh tapioca dumpling cake.
The cake’s crust is neither sour nor pungent but has a very clear flavor. The transparent, small dumpling cakes reveal a pink shrimp inside, making them irresistible. Tapioca dumpling cake is quick to make and easy to eat. You can peel off the leaves outside the cake, hold it with your hand, dip it into a light fish sauce, and take a bite of the whole dumpling.
Ramie leaf rice cake (Bánh ít lá gai)
Ramie leaf rice cake is a dish made mainly from ramie leaf, mung bean, and banana leaf. This snack is traditionally used for ancestral worship during festivals or important events. It is also served at weddings to celebrate a new union or at funerals to show condolences. Additionally, it can be given as a gift to people traveling far away as a sign of affection from the sender.
Eating ramie leaf rice cake gives a chewy sensation with the slight bitterness of banana leaves, the sweetness of the filling, and the aroma of mung beans and banana oil. You can hear the sound “chop…chop…” while chewing, which can make you crave for more.
You can find this cake at the Quang Tri ramie leaf rice cake factory.
Phuong Lang steamed thin rice pancake (Bánh ướt Phương Lang)
Whenever Phuong Lang is mentioned, people immediately think of its famous delicious steamed thin rice pancake.
Just like steamed thin rice pancakes in other regions throughout the country, the main ingredient for making steamed thin rice pancakes in Phuong Lang is rice. After the rice is thoroughly washed, it is soaked in water overnight. The next morning, the cake maker grinds the rice into rice flour batter and spreads it over the steam.
The process of spreading the batter over steam is very simple: a piece of fabric with medium thickness is used, a layer of batter is spread on it, and then it is placed on a pot of boiling water and covered with a lid. After a while, the cake is removed. The cake should not be spread too thickly or too thinly. After spreading, the cakes are stacked on top of each other. They can be eaten after cooling or right away. When serving, the vendor separates each cake and rolls it up before putting it on a plate.
The steamed thin rice pancakes are served with raw vegetables, and, of course, boiled pork meat cannot be missed.
That’s all for what to eat in Quang Tri. Hopefully, with our sharing above, you can find these delicious Quang Tri local foods and savor the authentic flavors of Quang Tri cuisine.
Read more Quang Tri travel guides
- Top 13 Famous Quang Tri Tourist Attractions
- 20 Authentic Quang Tri Restaurants to Try Now
- Best Quang Tri Travel Guide – It’s Not All About War
