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Bún mắm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bún mắm
A bowl of bún mắm
TypeSoup
Place of originCambodia[1][2][3][4]
Region or stateSoutheast Asia
Main ingredientsShrimp, fish paste, shrimp paste, rice vermicelli, siu yuk
Bún mắm in Sóc Trăng

Bún mắm is a Vietnamese vermicelli soup made from fermented fish called mắm, sometimes called "Vietnamese gumbo".[5][6][7]

Etymology

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Food reviewer Mike Sula explains, "Bun refers to the steamed rice vermicelli, which can be a bit mushy. But the key to this soup is the mam, as in mắm cá lóc [vi] (fermented fish paste) or mắm tôm (fermented shrimp paste), a murky purple slurry that on its own is one of the most odoriferous substances this side of a tannery fire. But added judiciously to soups or stir-fries it provides the elusive element of deep rounded flavor that puts the mam in umami."[8]

History

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The origins of this dish is speculated to have come from Cambodia.[9][10] When the dish came into Vietnam, instead of using mắm bò hóc as a sauce for the broth, it was substituted for fish sauce using mắm cá linh or mắm cá sặc to adapt to the local taste by reducing the strong smell and making it easier to eat.[11][12] It has become a southern Vietnamese dish created from the Mekong Delta,[13] owing to its use of the unique and specific fish found from the rivers of the Mekong Delta.[14] Bún mắm is usually served along with fresh greens and herbs.[15]

In the United States

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Food critic Mike Sula recommended the bún mắm at Nha Hang Viet Nam in Chicago's Argyle Street neighborhood known as Little Vietnam, writing that it was, "brimming with eggplant, shrimp, squid, and silky, thinly sliced fish, accompanied by a heaping side of bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, and jalapeños."[8]

A Boston-area restaurant reviewer praised the bún mắm at Hien Vuong in Dorchester, Boston as a "rarely-found noodle soup", describing it as "rich, smelly, salty, heady, tangy, sweet & sour, spicy and pungent. Umami-city".[16]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, food critic Tim Costner called Bun Mam Soc Trang in Oakland, California a contender for the area's best bún mắm, praising its broth as "subtle in its complexity and delicate in its flavor," and saying "it will make you forget about all but the very best pho".[17]

References

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  1. ↑ Khanh Thien (9 January 2023). "Fermented fish noodle soup: A captivating southern specialty". VnExpress. Retrieved 14 October 2023. According to Chau, the dish was originally from Cambodia, where the broth was made from mam bo hoc - Cambodian fermented fish sauce.
  2. ↑ Khanh Thien (17 January 2021). "Unique fermented fish noodle soup". VietNamNet. Retrieved 14 October 2023. It seems to have originated from Cambodia.
  3. ↑ Rachel Tran (16 September 2021). "Unique fermented fish noodle soup". Vietnam Discovery. Retrieved 14 October 2023. Bun Mam (Bún Mắm) is a robus delta soup originating from Cambodia.
  4. ↑ Rachel Tran (2013). "Bún Mắm: the Mekong in a Bowl". Vietnam Coracle. Retrieved 14 October 2023. In fact, many people speculate that the origins of bún mắm lie not in Vietnam but in neighbouring Cambodia, whose Khmer empire once ruled over what is now southern Vietnam.
  5. ↑ Vietweek May 18th 2012 print edition. The market beyond the hedge. "Not surprisingly, seasoned shoppers at Phung Hung delight in the fermented fiat of a soup so pungent, it makes bún riêu seem like a Cup-o-Noodles. Bún mắm allegedly came from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, where Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese communities have intermingled for centuries."
  6. ↑ Yellowdawn, T. H. Fermented Foods: Naturally Enzymatic Therapy. 2008. Page 277: "Fermented Shrimp and Fish Soup (Bún Mắm). Fermented shrimp paste or fish paste soup can be prepared and cooked at the same time or together."
  7. ↑ Helen's Recipes (Vietnamese Food) (Nov 29, 2013). "Bun Mam - Vietnamese Seafood Gumbo Recipe". YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Sula, Mike (January 18, 2012). "One Bite: bun mam, a.k.a. Vietnamese gumbo". Chicago Reader. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ Khanh Thien (9 January 2023). "Fermented fish noodle soup: A captivating southern specialty". VnExpress. Retrieved 14 October 2023. According to Chau, the dish was originally from Cambodia, where the broth was made from mam bo hoc - Cambodian fermented fish sauce.
  10. ↑ "Bún Mắm: the Mekong in a Bowl". Vietnam Coracle. 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2023. In fact, many people speculate that the origins of bún mắm lie not in Vietnam but in neighbouring Cambodia, whose Khmer empire once ruled over what is now southern Vietnam.
  11. ↑ "Bún mắm nổi danh miền Tây - thứ "mị hoặc" khi lần đầu ăn chê dở nhưng thử lần hai lại thấy "ghiền"". Cafevn. 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  12. ↑ Rachel Tran (16 September 2021). "Unique fermented fish noodle soup". Vietnam Discovery. Retrieved 14 October 2023. Nonetheless, instead of being cooked with prahok sauce (crushed, salted fermented mudfish sauce), Mekong Delta' Bun Mam is cooked with the sauce made from moustached danio or snakeskin gourami. That is why the aroma is not as strong as the original version and easier to eat.
  13. ↑ "Bún Mắm: the Mekong in a Bowl". Vietnam Coracle. 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2023. Bún mắm is a southern Vietnamese dish, thought to have originated in Sóc Trăng Province, in the Mekong Delta.
  14. ↑ "Mắm cá linh và cá sặc - Hương vị miền tây trong từng giọt mắm". Tiệm bún mắm & lẩu mắm cô út. 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  15. ↑ "Bún Mắm: the Mekong in a Bowl". Vietnam Coracle. 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2023. One of the things that southern Vietnamese dishes (especially soups) are famous for is the plethora of fresh greens that they are served with. Even by southern standards, bún mắm is accompanied by a jungle of leaves, stalks, stems, flowers and herbs. These come on a separate plate, either uncooked or blanched in hot water.
  16. ↑ Prav (September 20, 2012). "Bun Mam - Vietnam's complex, deliciously stinky fermented fish noodle soup". Chow. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ Costner, Tim (September 18, 2012). "The Bun Mam Soup @ Bun Mam Soc Trang, Oakland". The Accidental Wino / thirstyreader.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
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