That was the sharing of Chef Pham Tuan Hai when talking about fish sauce - a special Vietnamese spice at the discussion Vietnamese Fish Sauce - Elevating Vietnamese Cuisine, on September 30.

Vietnamese fish sauce is an “oral heritage”, made from sea fish and salt, fermented for many months to produce a pure, golden liquid that creates a rich, natural flavor.

Since the 10th century, fish sauce has become an indispensable need in preparing dishes for daily life. Therefore, fish sauce has naturally become a Heritage in the hearts of the people.

Talking about the historical value of Vietnamese fish sauce, historian Duong Trung Quoc shared: “Since the 10th century, Vietnam has been a country that produces and knows how to use fish sauce to process and season dishes. This has created a stepping stone and basic premise for the sustainable development of Vietnamese cuisine.”

Fish sauce - an indispensable spice in Vietnamese dishes. Photo: Tam An

According to Mr. Le Tan - Vice President of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, fish sauce is a dual-purpose ingredient used by people through direct consumption and processing (as a seasoning). For seafarers, fish sauce becomes a medicine, because drinking a little fish sauce directly can prevent cold, increase vitality, and balance body temperature.

In most Vietnamese dishes, fish sauce is a main spice. The pinnacle of fish sauce is the soul of the dish. This is the "national spirit" spice of Vietnamese people in every meal, the pride in the mind of every Vietnamese when mentioning the cuisine of their homeland, he shared.

At the discussion, Chef Pham Tuan Hai emphasized that in the seasoning for each dish, fish sauce mostly plays a major role. Every time we practice, in addition to preparing a dish, there are also stories, cultural messages, traditions and Vietnamese people.

Mr. Hai admitted that for a long time, he was only thinking about how to cook delicious food. But when he heard the historical stories about fish sauce and dishes, he thought that if we could attach those stories to the dishes, Vietnamese cuisine would surely fly further.

According to Chef Pham Tuan Hai, using fish sauce at each stage of cooking will give the dish a distinct flavor. Photo: Tam An

Chef Pham Tuan Hai cited pho or stir-fried dishes as examples, without fish sauce, the flavor of the dish would not be enhanced. Chefs have their own way of using spices, adding them to each stage of preparation. Therefore, fish sauce, if used at different stages of preparation, will bring a distinct flavor.

Regarding pho, he said that this dish is a combination of three kitchens. In which, pho noodles combine the rice farming; the broth cooking style of foreigners; and the fish sauce of Vietnamese people. Therefore, Vietnamese or foreigners eating a bowl of pho always feel very close. Through dishes like pho, he believes that it is possible to push the image of fish sauce to the world and reach more customers.

What is special is that 100% of Vietnamese restaurants use fish sauce, while Western restaurants use fish sauce at 40%.

“When I was a representative for a restaurant in Europe, people asked me how to put fish sauce in cheese, I confirmed that it was absolutely possible. For example, grilled oysters with cheese were unknown 30-40 years ago, but in the past 6-7 years, this dish has become famous and popular in all restaurants and eateries. People grind the cheese, then add fish sauce, making grilled oysters an attractive and nutritious dish,” said Mr. Hai.

Mr. Tran Dang - Chairman of the Vietnam Fish Sauce Association said that the Association is coordinating with the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association to implement a project to build and develop Vietnamese culinary culture into a national brand. The goal is to bring fish sauce - the core spice of Vietnamese dishes to a new level.

The two associations are working together to build a dossier to submit to the Government to recognize fish sauce as an intangible heritage of Vietnam. At the same time, they are studying and planning to organize fish sauce-related festivals to introduce the pinnacle value of this unique culinary culture to international tourists visiting Vietnam.

Vietnamnet.vn