Fish sauce
A savory umami-rich condiment from fermented fish or krill, essential in Southeast Asian cuisines.
Last updated
Assassas77 · via Wikipedia: Fish sauce · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fish sauce is a salty liquid seasoning produced by coating fish or krill in salt and allowing them to ferment for as long as two years. It serves as a fundamental ingredient in East and Southeast Asian cooking, especially in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In the West, similar sauces linked to the Roman condiment garum have been used since ancient times. Because it imparts a savory umami taste to food, cooks and chefs around the world have adopted it.
That umami flavor comes from the sauce’s glutamate content. It can be added to dishes during or after cooking, and it also forms the base of many dipping sauces. Some Westerners consider soy sauce a vegetarian substitute for fish sauce, though the two have distinctly different flavors.
Background
Sauces that included fermented fish parts with other ingredients such as meat and soybean were recorded in China, 2300 years ago. During the Zhou dynasty of ancient China, fish fermented with soybeans and salt was used as a condiment. By the time of the Han dynasty, soybeans were fermented without the fish into soy paste and its by-product soy sauce, with fermented fish-based sauces developing separately into fish sauce. A fish sauce, called kôechiap in Hokkien Chinese, might be the precursor of ketchup.
By 50–100 BC, demand for fish sauces and fish pastes in China had fallen drastically, with fermented bean products becoming a major trade commodity. Fish sauce re-entered China in the 17th and 18th centuries, brought from Vietnam and Cambodia by Chinese traders. In Europe, fish sauces were widely used in ancient Mediterranean cuisine.
The earliest recorded production was between 4th–3rd century BC by the Ancient Greeks, who fermented scraps of fish called garos. The Romans made a similar condiment called either garum or liquamen. Garum was made in the Roman outposts of Spain almost exclusively from mackerel.
The process lasted until the 16th century when garum makers switched to anchovy and removed the innards. Garum was one of the trade specialties in Hispania Baetica. In English garum was formerly translated as fish pickle. The original Worcestershire sauce is a related product because it is fermented and contains anchovies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Fish sauce come from?
It originated in East and Southeast Asia and remains a daily staple in the kitchens of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Western cooks have also been incorporating it into their recipes since Roman times.
What role does Fish sauce play in cooking?
Its primary job is to deliver a strong umami flavor that deepens and rounds out a dish's overall taste profile. It is the go-to seasoning for adding savory depth across a wide range of Asian recipes.
Also in the Codexery
More in Fermented Foods
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Fish sauce (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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