Fish sauce is not actually from Asia but in Europe

At that time, fish sauce was used to replace salt in cooking and making sauces by combining honey, wine, vinegar, herbs and oil.

From many generations, in Southeast Asian countries in general and Vietnam in particular, fish sauce has become an indispensable spice in daily meals, so that almost everyone assumes that this is the place has produced the famous spice throughout the world. But the truth is not at all like that, fish sauce originated in Europe long ago.

Fish sauce is not sourced from Southeast Asia or Vietnam as many people think.

According to historical records, fish sauce originating from the Roman Empire (from 27 years before CN), called garum , was distilled by marinating fish with salt and brewing for fermentation, identical to How to make fish sauce in Asia today. There were times when the Romans used less salt, only 15% of salt compared to 50% today, making garum more nutritious and more flavorful.

This is an excavated mosaic from the background of a garum shop in Pompeii, the city half-buried in 79 AD, showing how popular fish sauce was at the time.

In addition, their processing of garum at that time was quite diverse, some were distilled with whole fish, others only used blood and organs of fish. The types of fish used to process garum are mainly tuna, mackerel, drum and sardines. After the distillation is complete, people will add the marjoram and some other herbs to increase flavor and prevent bacterial growth.

Pots containing garum were excavated at the Pompeii ruins.

Just like wine, the garum at that time had many different types and different levels. The type of slave is very cheap, everyone can buy it, while the price of a premium bottle of garum for the nobility can reach an amount equivalent to $ 500 (more than 11 million dong) today. . With a rich, delicious taste, garum is used to replace salt in cooking and making sauces by combining honey, wine, vinegar, herbs and oils.

When the Roman Empire collapsed with the flood of pirates, ready to kill, burn, the recipe for garum also disappeared from Italy. However, somehow, perhaps through trading and exchanging goods with the Chinese on the Silk Road before, fish sauce was introduced into the East, first in China, then spread to Korea, Japan, then to Southeast Asia within 1,000 years later.

Chinese and Japanese people currently use a lot of soy sauce, but that doesn't mean they no longer use fish sauce.

However, if in China or Japan, the habit of using fish sauce in cuisine becomes gradually diminished after the 14th century because of the appearance of soy sauce (soy sauce) in Southeast Asia, this tradition still continues until today, even in every country and region, the way to make fish sauce is different. Moreover, people also create many different types of fish sauce to change the taste and increase the diversity for daily meals, such as in Vietnam there are more fish sauce or seasoning sauce.

Currently Southeast Asia is a region that uses fish sauce very much in cuisine, but each country has a different way of processing.

For a long time, Vietnamese fish sauce has been known all over the world because of its unrivaled deliciousness, and when it comes to fish sauce, it would be missing without mentioning sauce. A cup of sauce is called delicious to the last drop if you add a bit of garlic, a little fresh pepper, a little sugar, and a little lemon. If eating seafood or fishy dishes, people have right cup of ginger fish sauce. If you want to eat with duckweed, banh xeo or other kinds of flour cakes, people have a cup of sweet tears soaked in pickles. Or simply if you want to feel the delicious deliciousness of pure fish sauce, people just need to add chilli.

Although it was not invented by Vietnamese people, from the past generations, the cup of fish sauce has become a dish associated with Vietnamese people's land and soul. Wherever you go, people always remember and crave this warm spice and look forward to the day they return to their homeland.