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At the opening ceremony of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Fish Sauce Festival 2024, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Beverage Association (FFA) in collaboration with the Vietnam Traditional Fish Sauce Association, the organizers invited visitors to sample "fish sauce coffee." This unique dish quickly spread on social media, sparking curiosity among many users.
The drink piqued the curiosity of many, but many hesitated to try it due to the unusual combination of fish sauce and coffee. However, some enthusiastically tried the entire cup of this new type of coffee and commented that the product had a distinctive salty, aromatic, and creamy taste.
Following the success of salted coffee, businesses are now experimenting with "fish sauce coffee," leaving consumers astonished.
"Coffee and fish sauce are both national treasures of Vietnam, so I really want everyone to work together to preserve and promote Vietnamese cuisine," shared Ms. Tran Thi Hong Loan, Director of Nam Phuong Tourism and Trade Promotion Company Limited, the coordinating unit for the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Fish Sauce Festival.
Two things that seem unrelated – fish sauce is usually used as a seasoning or dipping sauce, while coffee is a beverage to sip on – when combined, create something that surprises many people.
According to the person who made the fish sauce coffee at the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Fish Sauce Festival, culinary artist Ho Dac Thieu Anh told her about this unique drink, but she had to go through many trials and errors to get the recipe she liked. Regarding the ingredients, Ms. Loan said that it must be pure fish sauce from Central Vietnam and pure coffee from major Vietnamese brands.
Accordingly, the method for making "fish sauce coffee" involves using traditional fish sauce without added additives or flavor enhancers, heating it over a fire similar to how braised pork belly is made, so that the fish sauce crystallizes on the surface.
The "Coffee and Fish Sauce" event celebrates two iconic Vietnamese products: traditional fish sauce and coffee.
Next, mix this crystallized salt with coffee, using 1-2 grains of salt from the fish sauce per cup of coffee, and add a little sugar to balance the taste. This drink can be enjoyed hot or with ice. When drinking, use a straw to sip the foam on the surface to appreciate the distinctive flavor, then stir well to enjoy the whole thing.
Many people are skeptical about the taste when these two ingredients are combined.
Fish sauce coffee is currently a hot topic on social media. Many people are asking about the taste for those who have tried it, and many are suggesting more unique variations like "fermented fish sauce coffee" or "shrimp paste coffee."
Although fish sauce coffee is trending on social media, many people argue that it's not an entirely new invention. Fish sauce was once used in the traditional Hanoi coffee brewing method. Back then, some cafes would dip bamboo chopsticks into a bottle of fish sauce and stir them into the coffee before serving it to customers. This gave the coffee a salty taste with a subtle aroma. This method existed for several decades, but it's rarely used now.
