More about the old fish sauce pot

When talking about Phan Thiet, it is impossible not to mention fish sauce - a product that has been famous since ancient times of this land. However, few people know that the contribution to making the flavor of fish sauce "fly high and far" is thanks to the tin - the main tool for storing fish sauce before 1975.

1. Origin of the name

The fish sauce making profession in Binh Thuan was born and developed quite early. From the time of the Nguyen Lords to the Nguyen Dynasty, fish sauce was one of the products subject to special tax. In the 18th and 19th centuries, according to some historical documents such as: Phu Bien Tap Luc, Kham Dinh Dai Nam Hoi Dien Su Le, Dai Nam Thuc Luc, Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi, the containers for fish sauce to pay tax were jars, jars or jugs. Later (perhaps from the French colonial period), the name "Tin" began to appear among the people, gradually becoming familiar and popular.

Shell collection wharf on Ca Ty river before 1945. Photo archive.

The names "tĩn" and "tĩn" are both correct, both referring to a type of small, low jar, round and pointed in the middle like a rice cake. These are names that the ancients borrowed from Chinese characters to transcribe into Vietnamese. According to author Vu Van Kinh (Great Dictionary of Nom Characters, 2005), "tĩn" comes from the word "井" (read in Sino-Vietnamese as "Tinh"); and "tĩn" comes from the two words "Kim"/金 and "Tinh"/省 combined (in the harmonic way).

2. Time of birth and production location

The tin making profession in Binh Thuan began in 1927, in what we now call Lo Tin hamlet. This place is located in the southwest of Phan Thiet city, between kilometer 3 and 4 on Tran Quy Cap street in Duc Long ward - bordering Tien Loi commune.

By the 1960s, in this area (at that time called Phu Phong B hamlet, Phu Lam commune, Ham Thuan district) there were a total of 5 tin kilns, all privately owned with the names: Minh Thanh, Cong Minh, My Loi, Hiep Nghia and Hiep Thanh.

3. Production capacity

According to statistics, in the 1960s, the kilns produced about 3 million pieces each year. By the 1970s, it had decreased to about 1.8 million pieces, specifically: Cong Minh kiln 450,242 pieces, Hiep Nghia kiln 410,200, My Loi kiln 340,420, Minh Thanh kiln 320,680 and Hiep Thanh kiln 270,820. This number certainly could not meet the needs of households.

Going back in time to the 1930s, we see that the amount of fish sauce that Binh Thuan people produced was really “huge” – 50 million liters in 1928. Therefore, it took 13 million jars to cope. The solution was to import more jars from Binh Duong, Cho Lon and even Phu Yen as in the case of Lien Thanh Company.

4. Volume variation

Looking at the remaining tins today, we see that they have a much smaller capacity than during the French colonial period. Guillerm in “L'industrie du Nuoc-Mam en Indochine” said: Before 1931, the tins contained 7 liters of fish sauce; but after that, the capacity was almost uniform from 3 liters to 3 liters 25. Later, author Le Van Lua (1973) also gave specific data on the fluctuations in the capacity of each tin of fish sauce: 1951-1954: 2 liters 7, 1955-1956: 2 liters 9, 1957-1958: 3 liters, 1959-1960: 3 liters 3; from 1961 to before 1975 it was 3 and a half liters. Therefore, some tin artifacts that we see today have many sizes.

In a potter's kiln in Phan Thiet before 1945 - a worker is applying lime water to the pot's shell. Photo: French National Library.

5. Manufacturing process

Before 1975, the kilns in Phan Thiet usually had 3 sizes: The first-class kiln could hold up to 4,000 pieces; the second-class kiln could hold 3,000 pieces and the third-class kiln could hold about 2,000 pieces. The kilns were built in a long and long shape, high above and low below, different from the usual ceramic kilns for producing bricks and tiles. To build a kiln, it cost at least 300,000 VND (about 6 taels of gold) and 100 workers.

The main material for making tin is clay mined from the fields (the best is from areas with termite mounds). The soil is brought to the kiln and soaked in a water-filled cellar until soft. In addition to the clay, the kiln workers also mix in white sand and red gravel; they pound it until smooth and then put it into a mold to shape it. The shaped tin is dipped in glaze; the glaze for dipping tin is a mixture of young mud (taken from the river flowing through Ong Nhieu bridge (also known as bridge 40) and clear ash water. After being glazed, the tin is dried in the sun for 48 hours, then put into the kiln to be fired.

When the tin is taken out of the kiln, the worker uses a rag or loofah or coconut fiber to clean the inside. Then, use cement diluted with water to brush the outside of the tin, let it dry, and then hand it over to the worker for a final inspection before leaving the factory. This step is called “chi” tin. By immersing the tin in a bucket of cold water to see if there are any cracks or holes; if there are any, lightly repair it by using a mixture of cement, lime powder and fish oil to fill it, heavily remove it. After chipping, the tin must be painted with 2 more layers of lime water (mixed with cement) to complete the product.

6. Advantages of static electricity

At a time when the fish sauce industry had not yet applied modern machinery for bottling, using a wide-mouthed jar was very convenient for decanting. After pouring fish sauce into the jar, workers would use a lid (also made of ceramic, called a vum/dum lid) to cover the mouth, then use a type of mortar consisting of lime, sand and molasses (or cement) to seal it (also called khanh). While the mortar was still wet, the label was stuck on, waited for it to dry and tied the handle with a palm leaf.

During the French colonial period, according to regulations, fish sauce jars had to have clear labels in three languages: Vietnamese, French, and Chinese to know where the fish sauce was made.

Because of the shape of the two ends and the bulging belly (Phu Quoc fish sauce pots have a slim belly), they can be stacked in many layers, 2-3 meters high, whether the pots are empty or contain fish sauce inside. Because the top layer of pots is located right in the gap between the 4 pots below, it forms a block, so it can be transported long distances in large quantities without fear of breaking. Moreover, pots do not need wooden crates, straw bags, rice husks, sawdust, etc. to protect them like bottles. Compared to using bottles, fish sauce stored in pots is cheaper. For example, in the 1960s, each pot of fish sauce (3.5 liters) cost 5 dong; meanwhile, 1 liter of fish sauce stored in a bottle cost 6.05 dong.

Moreover, the tin is very suitable for fish sauce. Fish sauce left in the tin for a long time will ferment again, thus increasing its quality value. Therefore, Phan Thiet people liken the tin containing fish sauce to good wine buried underground for a long time.

The tin making profession has contributed to solving the problem of jobs for many people, from woodcutters to workers specializing in tin making such as: Firemen, tin shaping workers, tin workers, skin sweepers and tin dryers... And within the tin making profession, we must also mention lime miners to provide lime for tin skin painting, and the profession of making lids. In addition, we must also mention those who specialize in making sail cushions and making tin carrying handles from the ribs of palm leaves in the localities near Phan Thiet.

Currently, fish sauce sold in Phan Thiet is packaged in a variety of packaging, with volumes ranging from 27 ml to 1,000 ml. These are PET plastic bottles, glass bottles and even ceramic tins such as the brand “Tin fish sauce – 300 year old formula” of Seagull Company Limited (Old Fishing Village Fish Sauce Museum). Although the tin kilns have long been “out of fire”, the image of the tin and the flavor of the old tin fish sauce are still the memories not only of Binh Thuan people but also of customers from the North and the South.

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