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Fruit from Thailand

Sa-mor-dorng (salted Terminalia chebula)สมอดอง

Sa-mor-dorng is mature samor fruit wilted in the sun, kneaded with fine salt at 400 g per kg and sweetened with cha-em stem extract. The bowl is covered with cheesecloth and left in the shade for a week. It is a dark green, sweet, salty and sour snack.

Fully documentedFruit3.2 months – 6.2 months

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceHome recipe from the JIRCAS Thai fermented-food card, for 1 kg of fruit.
Mature samor fruit1 kgWashed and sun-dried until wilted[jircas]
Fine salt400 g[jircas]
Cha-em extractA few pieces of dried climbing stem soaked in water for a few hours, then strained[jircas]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.2 months – 6.2 months

Start
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What changes: Washed samor fruit wilts in the sun as water leaves it

Step 1 of 4
Wash and sun-wilt the fruit
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Candida
Candida sp.
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Sa-mor-dorng is mature samor fruit wilted in the sun, kneaded with fine salt at 400 g per kg and sweetened with cha-em stem extract. The bowl is covered with cheesecloth and left in the shade for a week. It is a dark green, sweet, salty and sour snack. Made in 4 steps over 3.2 months – 6.2 months. The longest step, store, takes 3–6 months (JIRCAS 2026). Salt is 40 % (JIRCAS 2026). Candida sp. does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–6 monthsReported[jircas]Store
Salt40 %Reported[jircas]Knead with salt and add cha-em extract
AciditypH up to 3.5Set[tcps160]Cover with cheesecloth and ferment in the shade

What makes this one different

In Sa-mor-dorng the salt is kneaded into the wilted fruit, at 400 g per 1 kg of fruit, rather than dissolved in a brine first. Cha-em extract adds sweetness, and the bowl stands under cloth for a week.

Related ferments

Safety

Thailand's community standard for pickled fruit requires pH 3.5 or below, total microbes at most 1 × 10^4 per gram, no Staphylococcus aureus in 0.1 g, E. coli below 3 per gram (MPN) and yeasts and moulds at most 100 per gram. It bans synthetic colours, borax and sweeteners other than sugar.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (the pickled-fruit standard sets limits for both).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

History
The sources we found do not record its history.
Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [jircas] JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand: Sa-mor-dorng (salted samor), read 2026-10-23. Its microbe list cites The traditional fermented foods of Thailand (ASEAN, 1995).gov
  2. [tcps160] Thai Industrial Standards Institute 2003, Thai Community Product Standard มผช.160/2546, Pickled fruit (phonlamai dong) (copy on archive.org)spec