Fish sauce is the "national soul" of Vietnamese cuisine.

The fish sauce production process takes about a year, from the stage when the fish is salted in large wooden barrels to the stage when the anchovies are fermented and the best drops of fish sauce are extracted.

It is this elaborate process that creates the special flavor of Vietnamese fish sauce and certainly any tourist coming to Phu Quoc cannot miss this branded gift.

According to CNN, Phu Quoc is considered the pearl island of Vietnam. The first households in Phu Quoc started the fish sauce business in 1950 and are proud of their reputation as one of the best fish sauce producers in the country.

Original flavor

According to the chef of a top luxury resort on Phu Quoc Island, many of the beautiful Vietnamese dishes they serve to visitors, such as seafood, grapefruit salad or fried lobster with greens, are largely enhanced by unique flavors and prominent umami – the distinctive salty taste that comes from the delicious local fish sauce.

And the flavor of fish sauce is present in most Vietnamese dishes such as pho, spring rolls, broken rice, banh xeo, clay pot rice and many more.

How is fish sauce made?

The important ingredients to make fish sauce are small black anchovies and white anchovies. They will account for about 95% of the fish used, the rest are large fish such as sardines and herring. Traditionally, fish will be caught in the sea around Phu Quoc island, but now fish are mainly caught in Tho Chu island (Phu Quoc city, Kien Giang province). The appropriate fishing period is from April to September, corresponding to the rainy season.

In large fish sauce production facilities, they all have their own fleet of fishing boats, so that they can supervise the entire production process. After being caught, the fish will be immediately drained on the boat, then the process of salting and storing, the fermentation process begins by using the freshest fish possible.

As for the salt used in the fish curing process, it usually comes from the Ba Ria - Vung Tau sea and is cured at a ratio of 1 part salt to 4 parts fish. When the fishing boat reaches the shore, the fish barrels weighing nearly 200 kg will be collected and transferred to separate barrels of the production facilities.

Unique from fish sauce container

In the past, fish sauce barrels were handcrafted from Dalbergia tonkinensis, a tree native to Phu Quoc National Park. But now the number of trees is seriously threatened, so people have to import wood from Cambodia. Wooden barrels play an important role in the quality and flavor of fish sauce. Each barrel must be made from 54 wooden bars, tied together by hand with rattan rope, and it takes about 2-3 workers 3 weeks to complete.

Once the fish is filled into the vats, the workers will start to stir and press down with great force into the mixture of fish and salt. Every day, the liquid from the vats will be drained and poured back into the vats. The important thing is that there will be no stirring or mixing. Once the fish sauce has reached the right concentration and flavor, it is ready for packaging.

The secret to creating the delicious flavor of Phu Quoc fish sauce is the unique combination of environmental factors, including the right humidity and temperature. In the final stage, the factory will send a sample of the fish sauce to the laboratory to measure the concentration to receive certification on the bottle label. The concentration will usually range from 35 degrees N to 45 degrees N.

National soul of the Vietnamese people

According to CNN, if you are using the most expensive and highly rated fish sauce, it is definitely the first squeeze from the salting tank, undiluted and unmixed. These drops of fish sauce are considered the best and the first liquid extraction from the tank. Some people also call it "extra pure fish sauce".

Spanish chef Bruno Anon once led a culinary program at a Phu Quoc resort and is also a fish sauce fanatic. He believes that fish sauce is the "national soul" of Vietnamese cuisine and is the spice that makes the country's cuisine unique compared to other countries in the world. In every Vietnamese meal, a small bowl of fish sauce is a source of pride and a dipping sauce that accompanies dishes in family meals.

“Some people will say fish sauce tastes fishy or even salty. A quality blend has a well-rounded sweetness that you can even taste right from the bottle,” Anon emphasizes.

According to CNN, back in 2016, in the capital Hanoi of Vietnam, former President Barack Obama had the opportunity to enjoy a bowl of grilled pork vermicelli noodles. The former US President enjoyed the taste of fish sauce in the famous Vietnamese vermicelli noodle dish. And it is these dishes with the full-flavored fish sauce that have helped Vietnamese cuisine rise in the global rankings.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao