Fish Sauce

cooking · fermentation · Southeast Asia

Made from Fish. Fish sauce is created by coating small fish or krill in salt and letting them ferment together for up to two years. The salty brine breaks down the fish and creates a flavorful liquid that gets strained off.

Southeast Asian Staple. Fish sauce is used every day in countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines, much like how people in other places use salt or soy sauce. It adds a deep, savory flavor to soups, dips, and stir-fries.

Ancient Roman Recipe. The Romans actually made something very similar called garum thousands of years ago and used it in their cooking. This shows that people have been fermenting fish for flavor for a very long time.

Strong Smell. Fish sauce has a very pungent, fishy smell that might seem strange at first, but just a little bit mixed into a dish creates amazing flavor. Many people who grow up with it love it, even though visitors sometimes find the aroma surprising.