The specialty of fish sauce is only available once a year in Hue, so customers 'wait' to buy it and freeze it to eat gradually.

When it comes to Hue specialties, people often think of banh bot loc, com hen… but in this land there is also a special delicacy that goes very well with rice that not everyone knows about. That is mam ca ro (also known as mam ro).

The anchovy is a small whale, about the size of a sunflower seed, and usually lives in brackish water or warm seas. This fish has a similar shape to anchovies but has a smaller body, softer bones and meat, and a sweeter taste.

Small whales with sparkling scales have been salted and fermented, creating the famous fish sauce of Hue. Photo: Mrs. Mang's fish sauce

The reason Hue is famous for its anchovy fish sauce is because this land is adjacent to Thuan An beach - where a lot of anchovy fish live.

Around March - April, the herring fish return to the sea with the tide. This is the season when the locals go fishing for herring to make fish sauce, one of the ways to help the locals preserve herring fish longer and enrich the cuisine .

The special thing about Hue's fermented fish sauce is that the fish is still whole, not crushed, and has a characteristic salty, spicy, and sweet taste. Photo: Hue's fermented fish sauce

According to experienced people, to make delicious fish sauce, you have to choose the ingredients carefully. The fish sauce must be made from fresh, newly caught and uniformly sized anchovies.

After being caught, the anchovies are washed again with seawater or salt water, both to clean the dirt and sand on the fish and to ensure the fish meat is firm, while still retaining the saltiness of the seawater inside.

When washing fish, be careful not to use your hands, but toss the fish in a sieve or screen while washing. This will help clean the fish of all the slime without it getting crushed or crushed.

The famous specialty fish sauce of Hue is now transported to many provinces and cities across the country.

The main ingredients for making fish sauce include fish, rice powder, cold rice and salt. Depending on the location and taste, the fish can be salted with sticky rice flour, rice vinegar, etc. After washing the fish, it is dried, then mixed with rice powder, salt and left to ferment for about 60 days.

When the mixture ferments and has a sour taste, people add MSG, sugar, chili, mix well and enjoy.

The fish sauce can be used as is or mixed with a little chili, minced garlic, sugar and lemon juice. Photo: Nguyen Hoang Viet

Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong - owner of a food store on To Hien Thanh street, Hanoi said that fish sauce is one of the specialties of Hue that is loved by "gourmets" in the capital.

Around June - July, the number of customers ordering fish sauce is very large.

According to Ms. Huong, there is only one season of anchovy sauce each year, so diners often "watch" the day, ordering several months in advance. Many people even buy dozens of boxes at a time to eat gradually.

The salty, sour and slightly sweet taste of Hue fish sauce is said by diners to be very "delicious with rice". Photo: Huong Thu Nguyen

Unlike other traditional fish sauces, the fish sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen, and eaten all year round. When frozen, the fish sauce does not freeze, so it can be eaten immediately, without the need for further mixing or cooking.

“The fish sauce is made from the anchovies of Tam Giang lagoon. It is best served with boiled meat or can be combined with plain rice or burnt rice, both are delicious,” said Ms. Huong.

Thai customer loves Vietnamese pancakes priced at 180,000 VND/piece, can't stop eating because they're delicious . It was the first time enjoying Vietnamese pancakes, but the Thai guy was very satisfied, praising the crispy crust and the harmonious sweet and sour dipping sauce. He found the price of 180,000 VND reasonable because the cake is quite large with a filling full of fresh shrimp.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-mam-ca-ro-moi-nam-chi-co-mot-mua-o-hue-khach-canh-mua-tru-dong-an-dan-2302558.html