Artichoke Tea
Trà atiso
Đà Lạt's other artichoke habit — the whole flower simmered to a mineral, faintly sweet infusion, or dried petals steeped fast for a lighter daily cup.
By Vietnamese Cookbook Kitchen · April 13, 2026
The Central HighlandsFrench Indochina era, 1883–1945
Uống- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Beginner
Every Đà Lạt market stall selling canh atiso sits within sight of another selling trà atiso, and the two recipes are really one story told twice. The same French colonists who planted artichokes on the hillsides in the early 1900s brought with them a European habit of drinking the plant as a tonic, and it stuck as thoroughly as the vegetable itself — dried artichoke petals are now a standard souvenir from any trip to the highlands, sold in paper bags beside the strawberry jam and the coffee.
The two methods here produce genuinely different drinks, not just two recipes for the same thing. Simmering the whole flower makes something closer to a very light broth than a tea — gold, mineral, faintly vegetal — while steeping the dried petals gives a cup that's lighter and more floral, the difference between using the whole plant and using its dried remains. Neither needs much sugar; artichoke's natural sweetness does most of the work, and oversweetening it is the easiest way to turn a distinctive drink into a boring one.
Simmer the whole-flower version, don't boil it hard — a rolling boil pulls out bitterness the gentle version never picks up. If it tastes sharp instead of round, your heat was too high.
Lời đầu bếp · A word from the kitchen
Ingredientsnguyên liệu
Serves 4
Whole-flower method
- 2whole fresh artichokes — medium, about 200 g each, quartered — flower, stem, and all
- 2 Lwater — about 8 cups
- 20 grock sugar — about 1 1/2 tbsp, or to taste — honest amount is a light sweetness, not a syrup
- 1pandan leaf, knotted — optional, for a rounder aroma
Dried-petal method
- 8 gdried artichoke petals or flowers — about 2 tbsp, sold pre-dried at Đà Lạt markets and Vietnamese groceries
- 500 mlboiling water — about 2 cups
- 10 grock sugar or honey — about 2 tsp, to taste
Methodcách làm
Step 1: Whole-flower: simmer low and slow
Combine the quartered artichokes with the water in a pot and bring to a bare simmer — small bubbles, not a boil. Cook uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the water has taken on a deep gold color and smells faintly of the vegetable itself.
Step 2: Whole-flower: strain and sweeten
Strain out the solids, pressing gently to release the last of the liquid, then stir in rock sugar and the pandan leaf if using while the tea is still hot. Let it steep 5 minutes more, then remove the pandan.
Step 3: Whole-flower: serve hot or over ice
Drink it hot in cool weather, the way it's served at Đà Lạt's market stalls, or pour it over ice for a version that reads more like a tisane than a soup. Either way it should taste round and faintly sweet, never bitter.
Step 4: Dried-petal: a faster daily cup
Pour boiling water directly over the dried petals in a teapot or French press and let steep 8 to 10 minutes — longer than a green tea, since the dried petals are slower to release their color and flavor.
Step 5: Dried-petal: strain and sweeten
Strain into cups and stir in sugar or honey to taste. This version is lighter and more floral than the whole-flower method, closer to what Đà Lạt households actually drink on an ordinary Tuesday.
Đồ nghề · The tools
Equipment
Fine sieve / muslin
Rây lọcFor straining broth crystal-clear, squeezing coconut milk, and working tamarind pulp through into pure sour. Line it with muslin when the recipe says “clear” and means it.
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Questions from the kitchen
Which method should I actually make?
The whole-flower method if you're already braising artichokes for canh atiso and want to use every part of a French vegetable that isn't cheap in most markets — simmer the trimmings alongside the soup pot. The dried-petal method if you just want tea; it's what most Đà Lạt households reach for day to day.
Does artichoke tea actually do anything for you?
It's sold across Việt Nam as a liver tonic and folk digestif, a reputation that traces back to the same French colonists who planted the vegetable — European folk medicine already credited artichoke with liver benefits. Treat that as tradition, not medical advice; the tea is worth drinking for the taste regardless.
Can I use canned or jarred artichoke for the whole-flower method?
Skip it — canned artichokes are packed in brine or oil that will throw off the color and flavor of the infusion. If fresh artichokes aren't available, the dried-petal method is the better substitute, not a canned shortcut.
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