Northern Vietnam

Sơn La

Sơn La is the cultural heart of the Black Thái people of the Northwest, and its food stands out for the gác bếp technique of smoke-curing buffalo and beef above the kitchen hearth, and for the refined treatment of stream fish in pa pỉnh tộp. Mắc khén (Northwest Vietnamese wild pepper) and chẩm chéo (the Thái dipping condiment) are the soul of almost every dish here, giving a pungent, deeply savoury flavour that is hard to mistake for any other region.

Sources: Thịt gác bếp – Wikipedia tiếng Việt