Do Vietnamese people eat fish with lots of bones and fish sauce with strong smell?

Người Việt ăn cá nhiều xương, ăn mắm nặng mùi hay thế - Ảnh 1. — All traditional markets in Vietnam sell fresh fish to serve Vietnamese people who eat fish every day - Photo: NHA XUAN

Article by Australian author Ray Kuschert, who has lived in Vietnam for more than 10 years. Edited and translated by Tuoi Tre Online.

Authentic Vietnamese cuisine is very different from what people know in the West. Pho is the most famous Vietnamese dish in the world, there is no doubt about that. But in fact, fish and seafood as well as other strong-smelling dishes are also an integral part of Vietnamese cuisine.

Unfortunately, these dishes have not received the recognition they deserve on the world culinary map.

With a coastline of 3,260km and about 4,000 islands, along with large river systems such as the Red River, Huong River, Saigon River and the Mekong Delta, the majority of Vietnam's population lives near the coast or rivers.

However, when you learn more about Vietnamese cuisine, you will see people skillfully drawing each bone when eating whole steamed fish, or eating dipping sauces with extremely unforgettable "intense" smells.

người Việt ăn cá - Ảnh 2. — Fish is very popular in Vietnamese family meals - Photo: NHA XUAN

Vietnamese people eat fish with all the bones!

In the West, small fish with many bones are not popular because they are difficult to eat and pose a risk of choking on the bones.

In Vietnam, just step into traditional markets and you will see fresh seafood in aerated water basins, ensuring that crabs, shrimp, fish, and squid are always fresh when they reach buyers, helping them have fresh and delicious meals during the day.

One of the dishes that I am most impressed with is the Vietnamese fish hotpot. For Westerners, this is a real challenge. This fish is as long as a straw, thin and full of bones!

Người Việt ăn cá nhiều xương, ăn mắm nặng mùi hay thế - Ảnh 3. — How to eat snakehead fish hotpot

This is no ordinary hot pot. True to the motto “fresh fish is good fish”, fresh, still wriggling goby fish are dropped straight into the boiling hot pot!

What a sight to behold. The reaction is immediate but only lasts a few seconds as the hot pot instantly cooks the fish. Then, within a minute or two, they are served on a plate for you to enjoy. There really is no fresher fish than that!

But now the real challenge came when eating. With the whole fish on the plate, how could I draw the meat? The fish’s belly was bitter, and its body was full of small bones. This was definitely not a meal to be finished in a hurry.

The fish sauce is strong smelling but delicious!

Fish sauce is a common condiment in Vietnamese cuisine, like ketchup is to hamburgers.

This salted fish sauce has a rich, salty taste. Although produced using traditional methods for hundreds of years, each region's fish sauce has its own distinct flavor that locals are always proud of.

người Việt ăn cá - Ảnh 4. — What Vietnamese meal is complete without a bowl of fish sauce and chili - Photo: NHA XUAN

In addition, in Vietnam there is also a famous shrimp sauce called shrimp paste. This mixture has a strong smell and reddish brown color, which can easily make people who try it for the first time feel scared, even nauseous.

However, once you get used to the smell of shrimp paste and know how to use it in the right amount in your dishes, it will bring a wonderful taste experience.

One of my favorite dishes is bun dau mam tom. This dish has a balance of raw vegetables, meat and tofu, dipped in shrimp paste mixed with kumquat, chili and sugar.

I like salty and spicy so I usually don’t add sugar. It’s fun to sit with friends, roll up all kinds of food and dip it into the strong shrimp paste, put it in your mouth and feel the salty, spicy and fresh flavors all blend together. This is one of my favorite dishes in Vietnam.