‘Canh bon’ – food delight of Thai ethnic people

In the Thai villages of Son La province, often near the source of a stream, grow ‘bon’ trees, also called water-taro, which provide the soup's main ingredient, sweet water taro. The bark of the best trees, the ones with violet spots on the leaves, is peeled off and steeped in water to remove the resin.

Other ingredients of canh bon include fish sauce, salt, sodium glutamate, dill, 'mac khen’ - a kind of forest peppercorn with a distinctive aroma - and ox-hide or buffalo-hide.  

Preparation of the firewood is very important, according to Luong Thi Quan of To Lo hamlet in Son La city. She noted, “it’s forbidden to add more firewood or change the firewood while cooking. Otherwise the soup will be inedible.”

Thai women are preparing for welcoming a New Year festival.

Once the ox-hide or buffalo-hide is stewed, the prepared ‘bon’ tree bark is added and cooked for an additional 15 minutes. Then assorted vegetables, herbs, wild egg-plants, and ‘mac khen’ pepper are added to the broth.

When the vegetables are done, a little sticky rice powder is added to thicken the broth. Ms. Quan shared, “to make delicious ‘canh bon’, you must prepare all the necessary spices like‘mac khen’ pepper and garlic, and the various herbs and vegetables.”

In the past visitors to Thai houses were never invited to eat ‘canh bon’ because it’s so difficult to make. And according to Thai custom, ‘canh bon’ was not prepared for ancestor worship.

But now ‘canh bon’ has become a specialty of the Thai ethnic group that is served at daily family meals, at parties, and in restaurants.

Nguyen Thi Hong, a visitor from Hanoi who has tried the dish, said that “it's very delicious. It has the bitterness of wild egg-plant and the aroma of various herbs.”

On winter days, visitors are warmed by hot ‘canh bon’ soup served by the host family and savor the sweet bitterness of this unique specialty of Vietnam’s northwestern region.