TThere’s a moment during camping trips with Lonature that people rarely forget: as the sun slowly disappears behind the forest canopy, the fire at the center of camp begins to glow red, and bamboo tubes of cơm lam rest beside the flames, releasing the gentle aroma of fresh bamboo and wood smoke. Everything slows down. No traffic, no phone screens — just the crackling of burning wood and the feeling of sitting quietly in the heart of nature.
Cơm lam was never created for tourism. It has long been part of the daily life of the Ê Đê and M’Nông people — a simple way of cooking rice that carries the rhythm and spirit of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
Mountain rice is lightly rinsed, placed inside fresh lồ ô bamboo tubes with spring water, sealed with banana leaves, then roasted beside glowing charcoal for nearly an hour. The fresh bamboo naturally holds moisture inside, allowing each grain of rice to become soft, fragrant, and subtly infused with the scent of young bamboo and smoke from the fire. It’s not complicated or heavily seasoned, yet it leaves behind the kind of flavor people remember long after the journey ends.
Perhaps the most special part of cơm lam is the moment you peel away the charred bamboo by hand. Inside is a warm cylinder of pale golden rice, still wrapped in a delicate layer from the inner bamboo wall. Breaking off a piece of hot cơm lam, dipping it into wild chili salt or sesame salt, and eating it in the quiet of the forest — it feels less like a meal and more like becoming part of the journey itself.
A forest dinner is usually beautifully simple: cơm lam, grilled meat over charcoal, wild leaf soup, and sometimes a small jar of rượu cần shared around the fire. No long menus, no bright restaurant lights, no loud music. Just the smell of smoke, the sound of insects in the dark, and slow conversations carried through the night air.
At Lonature, we continue to keep this traditional way of cooking in our camping experiences with local partners — because sometimes, what makes a journey unforgettable is not simply where you go, but the moments when you truly reconnect with nature, with other people, and with yourself.
If there is one dish you should try when visiting Đắk Lắk, cơm lam is certainly one of them. Not only for its rustic flavor, but for the way it invites you to slow down, sit closer together, and deeply feel the spirit of the Central Highlands.
