Hue's 'royal dipping sauce' was once a favorite of kings.

"Originally a specialty of the interior

Follow Mrs. Tu Du to Huong Giang

Pink shrimp, red chili, yellow galangal

The sour taste permeates the tongue, reminding me of the butcher shop.

The above four verses of poet Vo Que speak of the origin and characteristic flavor of Hue's sour shrimp paste.

Nowadays, sour shrimp paste has become a specialty dish of Hue.

Legend has it that around the beginning of the 19th century, Empress Dowager Tu Du brought this fish sauce from her hometown of Go Cong (Tien Giang) to the capital. With its unique flavor, sour shrimp paste quickly won the hearts of kings Thieu Tri and Tu Duc, and was used as a dipping sauce in royal meals, as the "royal dipping sauce".

Through many historical ups and downs, sour shrimp paste was popularized among the people, becoming a typical dish of the people of Hue. Nowadays, sour shrimp paste is also a specialty that attracts many tourists.

To choose and buy this special fish sauce properly is not difficult. Just take a walk around Dong Ba market (Hue city), visitors can freely taste it in the old stalls of the ancient capital's merchants.

The sour shrimp paste stalls at Dong Ba market are always crowded with customers.

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Mai (50 years old), who has been selling fish sauce at Dong Ba market for more than 30 years, introduced: "There are many types of sour shrimp, special and regular. Special because it is made from shrimp caught from Tam Giang lagoon, so the shrimp are very big and fresh. Regular shrimp are small, caught from the river, also loved by local customers. The price of each 500g jar ranges from 40,000 - 60,000 VND".

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Mai introduces how to make sour shrimp paste

Unlike the Northern shrimp paste, Hue sour shrimp still retains the shape of the shrimp. The paste has an eye-catching red color and stimulates the taste buds. According to Mrs. Mai's introduction, preparing this dish is also extremely elaborate. The paste is made from fresh shrimp caught from large rivers or the brackish water of Tam Giang. The shrimp is then cleaned and fermented with chili, galangal, garlic, and sticky rice powder. When eaten, it will have a full range of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.

Next to Ms. Mai's stall, Ms. Dang Thi Thu Huong's (60 years old) stall of sour shrimp paste is also crowded with buyers, mainly tourists who choose this specialty to bring home as gifts. "To buy delicious, tasty sour shrimp paste, tourists must taste it to suit their taste. Good shrimp paste will have a moderate sourness, usually only needing to ferment for about 2 days to be the best. Tourists who come to my place often love the large size of sour shrimp paste, each person buys a few kilos as gifts," Ms. Huong said.

Sour shrimp paste of all sizes is sold at Dong Ba market.

Ms. Dao Ha Trang (43 years old, a tourist from Hanoi) returned to Hue for the second time and decided not to miss this "memorable" fish sauce dish. Ms. Trang and her family spent the whole morning walking around Dong Ba market, buying some specialty fish sauce to eat and as gifts.

"It's called fish sauce, so before I tried it, I thought it would have a strong smell and be difficult to eat. But after a meal with my family in Hue 3 years ago, I became "addicted" to this dish. The shrimp flavor is not too salty, just right, and it's delicious with hot rice, boiled meat or vermicelli," said Ms. Trang.

Locals believe that the best way to enjoy sour shrimp paste is with boiled meat and pickled cucumbers. Before eating, add some spices such as sugar, garlic, and MSG to suit the taste of diners in each region.

Boiled pork belly until just cooked, thinly sliced, served with a plate of pickled cucumber, mixed with a piece of fragrant sour shrimp... The sour, salty taste of fish sauce will further enhance the flavor of the delicious boiled meat dish.

Sour shrimp paste is a favorite dish in the meals of Hue people.

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