Mekong Delta, Southern Vietnam. Canh chua reflects the abundance of the Mekong Delta — freshwater fish, pineapple, tamarind, and tropical vegetables. It is the archetypal meal of Southern Vietnamese families, eaten daily with rice.
Canh chua (sour soup) is a Southern Vietnamese soup of sweet-sour tamarind broth with fish (catfish or snakehead), pineapple, tomato, okra, elephant ear taro stem, and bean sprouts. The defining character is the simultaneous sweet-sour-savoury balance — the tamarind provides the sour note, sugar and pineapple provide sweetness, fish sauce provides the salinity, and the freshwater fish provides the protein. This is the home cooking of the Mekong Delta.
- Thai tom yam (sour spicy soup — the Thai hot-and-sour parallel); Filipino sinigang (tamarind sour soup with pork or shrimp — the Philippine cousin using the same tamarind foundation); Cambodian somlar machu (sour soup — the Cambodian parallel).
Steamed jasmine rice alongside — canh chua is always served with rice, the soup spooned over or alongside as part of a Vietnamese family meal spread. A cold Tiger lager or lime-leaf iced tea for the summer Mekong Delta version.