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Vegetables from Cần Thơ and Cà Mau, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Dưa bồn bồn (Mekong cattail-shoot pickle)dưa bồn bồn

The young bases of bồn bồn, a cattail (Typha orientalis), are steeped in salted rice water and soured by lactic bacteria. In a lab study with a strain taken from the plant, about 4% salt gave the most lactic acid in six days.

Fully documentedVegetables6 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceTraditional household pickle with no fixed amounts; the salt level is from one lab study.
Young bases of bồn bồn[viwiki][tam2020]
Rice water[viwiki]
SaltAbout 4.08%The best of the levels tested in an inoculated lab ferment[tam2020]
Starterin the lab study, an added strain of Lactobacillus plantarum (CMT2) isolated from bồn bồn

Total time across the recorded steps: 6 days

Start
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What changes: The young bases of the cattail shoots are washed and cut into short pieces

Step 1 of 4
Wash and cut the young bases
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacillus plantarum

In the lab study the washed shoots were cut into 3–4 cm pieces [tam2020]. Output: washed shoot pieces.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

The young bases of bồn bồn, a cattail (Typha orientalis), are steeped in salted rice water and soured by lactic bacteria. In a lab study with a strain taken from the plant, about 4% salt gave the most lactic acid in six days. Made in 4 steps over 6 days. The longest step, ferment at room temperature until sour, takes 6 days (Tâm H.N.T 2020). Salt is 4.1 % (Tâm H.N.T 2020). Lactobacillus plantarum does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step6 daysReported[tam2020]Ferment at room temperature until sour
Salt4.1 %Reported[tam2020]Pack the shoots and cover with salted rice water
AciditypH 4.9 → 3.26Reported[tam2020]Ferment at room temperature until sour

What makes this one different

Dưa bồn bồn is made from the young base of a cattail, not from a leafy green, and Vietnamese Wikipedia calls it a characteristic dish of the Cần Thơ and Cà Mau area.

Related ferments

Safety

In the lab ferment with an added starter the pH fell to 3.26 in six days [tam2020]; the study did not test household batches made without a starter. As general guidance for home-fermented vegetables, the USDA National Center for Home Food Preservation advises keeping the vegetables covered by brine, removing scum when it forms and fermenting at 70–75 °F, since above 75 °F kraut may become soft [nchfp-ferment].

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

In March 2019 the Cà Mau People's Committee planned to expand the area under bồn bồn because demand for the inner part of its lower stalk, used in salads, hotpots and pickles, was high; Cái Nước district then had more than 150 households growing it on 90 ha (Viet Nam News 2019).

  1. [tam2020] Tâm H.N.T., Nghĩa L.Q., Thành N.T. and Đồng L.T.K. 2020, Tuyển chọn và ứng dụng dòng vi khuẩn lactic lên men dưa bồn bồn (Typha orientalis) muối chua, Tạp chí Khoa học Đại học Cần Thơ 56(6):153–163 (full text)paper
  2. [viwiki] Vietnamese Wikipedia, Dưa bồn bồn, read 2026-10wiki
  3. [vnnews2019] Viet Nam News (VNA) 2019, Cà Mau to expand bulrush growing area, Viet Nam News, 5 March 2019web
  4. [nchfp-ferment] USDA National Center for Home Food Preservation, Sauerkraut (fermenting vegetables guidance for home makers; general, not specific to bồn bồn), read 2026-10-31gov