Sweet Beef?
Miami is technically sub-tropical but one can find a large variety of flora that traditionally grows in the tropic. This is Schismatoglottis calyptra, of the family Araceae. It is a "wild vegetable" that is quite popular in Viet Nam. You can Google its local name of "Bo Ngot" to find this dish sold as a soup in local popular restaurants there (see insert.) I am not inclined to eat much vegetable, much less plain vegetable soup, but I am told this soup is very good and it is naturally "sweet," thus its name "Bo Ngot," Ngot means sweet. Not sure what "Bo" may mean here. A scientific nutritional study of food lists this "wild vegetable" as rich in micronutrient and is an important component of wild vegetables (Rau dai) in micronutrient intakes of women in Viet-Nam's Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands. And here it is, right here in Miami. These round white pods look like fruits, but they are seed pods, containing small black seeds that are very easy to germinate. I have a handful. I may just dump them in my backyard to see if any will take roots.
3 comments:
Hi,
Beautiful photos! Can you let us know what restaurant(s) in Miami serves the vegetable soup you mentioned in this post? Would love to try it. Thanks!
Cheers,
Kim
Unfortunately, this soup is available "there," in VietNam and not in Miami that I know of. Sorry!
I know the Vietnamese woman who has this plant in Miami. I did not see if the seeds she gave me germinated because I forgot all about that. She has quite an entrepreneurial mind, and she probably will oblige to sell you a plant or two. Drop me an email and with her permission, you may be able to call and talk to her. You can use this email:
lan6990@gmail.com, and I will respond.
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