Fish sauce

Lore & Background

Fish sauce has ancient roots. In China, sauces with fermented fish parts and other ingredients like meat and soybean were recorded 2300 years ago. During the Zhou dynasty, fish fermented with soybeans and salt was used as a condiment. By the Han dynasty, soybeans were fermented without fish into soy paste and soy sauce, while fish-based sauces developed separately. A Hokkien Chinese term, kôechiap, may be the precursor of ketchup, and survives in Malay as kecap or kicap, though these now usually mean soy sauce.

In Europe, fish sauces were widely used in ancient Mediterranean cuisine. The earliest recorded production was between the 4th–3rd century BC by the Ancient Greeks, who fermented fish scraps into garos. The Romans made garum or liquamen, described by Pliny the Elder as the liquor from putrefaction of fish guts. Garum was made in Roman outposts of Spain from mackerel, salted and sun-fermented for months. The process lasted until the 16th century, when makers switched to anchovy and removed the innards. Garum was ubiquitous in Roman cooking, mixed with wine (oenogarum), vinegar (oxygarum), or honey (meligarum). It was often maligned as smelling bad and is said to be similar to modern colatura di alici.

In Southeast Asia, fish sauce developed massive popularity. Thai and Cambodian fish sauces are generally milder and less pungent than Vietnamese ones. In Myanmar, it is called ngan bya yay, often a by-product of fish paste. In Cambodia, tik trei is produced by fermenting anchovies in large wooden vats for six to eight months, distilled five times, then sun-fermented. The most famous comes from Kampot Province. In Laos, it is nam pa, with a chunkier version called padaek. The Philippine patis is a by-product of bagoong production, skimmed from the upper layers of fermenting bagoong and not pressed. In Thailand, nam pla is used in cooking and as a table condiment, often mixed with lime juice and chilies as phrik nam pla.

Reader's Guide

Fish sauce's significance lies in its role as a fundamental seasoning across multiple cuisines, providing a savory umami flavor due to its glutamate content. It is used during or after cooking and as a base in dipping sauces. The condiment has been embraced globally by chefs and home cooks. Historically, fish sauce re-entered China in the 17th and 18th centuries, brought from Vietnam and Cambodia by Chinese traders. Food scholars traditionally divide East Asia into two condiment regions: Southeast Asia using fermented fish, and Northeast Asia using fermented beans. Fish sauce differs from oyster sauce, which is sweeter and less aromatic. Modern production typically uses anchovy, shrimp, or mackerel mixed with 10% to 30% salt, sealed for up to two years. Extended fermentation reduces fishy taste, yielding a nuttier, richer flavor. Second-pass sauces may add caramel, molasses, or roasted rice. The legacy of fish sauce includes its ancient Roman use and its connection to Worcestershire sauce, which is fermented and contains anchovies. Soy sauce is regarded by some in the West as a vegetarian alternative, though flavors differ greatly.

Did You Know?

• Fish sauce has been used in the West since Roman times, where it was called garum or liquamen.
• The Hokkien Chinese term kôechiap for fish sauce may be the precursor of the word ketchup.
• In the Philippines, patis is a by-product of bagoong production and is nearly always cooked before consumption.
• Extended fermentation of fish sauce reduces fishy taste and gives a nuttier, richer, more savory flavor.