The appearance of chives dipped in fermented fish sauce in a recent video of Miss Thien An and Ky Duyen has attracted the attention of the online community to Western cuisine.
In the videos, the excitement of the two beauties when experiencing the Mekong Delta specialty has aroused the curiosity of many diners, especially young people who have not had the opportunity to come into contact with wild vegetables in the river region.
The fact that influential figures promote local cuisine in a natural way has contributed to making dishes that are only familiar in Western family meals more known.
Water chives (scientific name Ottelia alismoides) are aquatic plants that grow wild in the alum soil areas of the Mekong Delta, especially in Dong Thap Muoi and the Long Xuyen quadrilateral region. Unlike shallots grown on land, water chives have thin, long, soft leaves, often hidden under the water surface in canals or deep fields.
The shape of water chives has a long stem, lush green leaves, ivory white roots, crispy and has a mild sweet taste. To get this vegetable, people must immerse themselves in the water, hold close to the root of the chive bush to pull out the roots.
This product is considered a "gift from heaven" because it does not require care, only appears according to the natural law of the water source. Water chives after being pulled are washed, cut off old leaves, and keep the white roots and young stems to eat raw.
To create the most complete flavor, water chives are often served with braised fish sauce - another iconic dish of this land. Braised fish sauce is usually made from snakehead fish sauce or linh fish sauce, cooked with pork belly, field fish, eggplant and minced lemongrass.
The salty and rich taste of fish sauce combined with the crispness, sweetness and characteristic aroma of water chives create a balance of taste buds. This is not only a dish to help cool down on hot sunny days but also contains the breath of the Mekong Delta countryside.
The transformation of water chives from a wild vegetable to a "star" on social networks shows the great potential of regional culinary tourism.
Currently, in many restaurants in Long An, Dong Thap or Ho Chi Minh City, chives sauce with braised fish sauce has appeared in the menu as a high-class specialty.
Maintaining and developing rustic dishes is not only economically meaningful for people in flood-affected areas but also a way to preserve Southern cultural identity amidst the modern flow.
