Visit the 100-year-old Cua Khe fish sauce village in Da Nang

“First is Cua Khe fish sauce. Second is Long Phu tea” is a saying that people in Quang often mention when talking about the more than 100-year-old Cua Khe fish sauce village in Thanh An ( Da Nang city).

The name Cua Khe comes from the fact that the village is located next to a stream that flows from the river straight to the sea, so there are many plankton living in the water, attracting many species of fish to feed. That rich source of seafood is the foundation for the formation of the traditional fish sauce village of Cua Khe as it is today.

The reason why Cua Khe fish sauce has a special, unforgettable taste is because the anchovies used to make the sauce are local ingredients, caught by fishermen around the area from the coast to Cu Lao Cham.

The boat sets sail the night before, and in the early morning the fish is brought ashore to be fermented immediately, without being iced, so the fish is very fresh. The best season for fish to be fermented is around January, February, and March of the lunar calendar. The fish sauce is fermented for over 12 months to produce a product, so it is very rich in flavor and delicious.

According to many fish sauce makers in the village, the process of making delicious traditional fish sauce in Cua Khe first depends on the selection of ingredients. The anchovies must be fresh after being caught, then carefully selected, then washed, and mixed with sea salt in a ratio of 2:1, that is, 2 tons of anchovies will be mixed evenly with 1 ton of sea salt. It can be in a ratio of 3:1, depending on the maker (a ratio of 3:1 produces a delicious fish sauce, while a ratio of 2:1 will be saltier and more fragrant).

After mixing, the salted fish is put into the fermentation tank (salt mixing stage). This stage requires the worker to be really patient, as the fish and salt are anaerobically fermented in a wooden tank for 12-13 months, without crushing or stirring.

During the incubation period, the craftsmen always diligently check and evaluate the quality of fish sauce in each barrel, to ensure the quality of the fish sauce is always stable and meets standards.

After 12-13 months of care, the fish sauce will be ripe, the extracted water will have a strong aroma, be clear, and be straw yellow to brown in color. The first drops of fish sauce are called "mam nhi" or "mam cot", the following batches are called "mam nhat" or "mam nhi".

After 12 to 18 months of incubation, the finished fish sauce is filtered by hand and dripped out drop by drop, hence the name "mam nhi". (Photo: Quoc Dung/VNA)

The process of making delicious traditional fish sauce first depends on the selection of ingredients. Anchovies must be fresh and not dehydrated to produce a good product.

Cua Khe traditional fish sauce products are popular because they contain no chemicals and have a very fragrant and delicious taste.

The village's fish sauce industry once faced a difficult period due to lack of output, many households stopped production, but since the local government paid attention to restoring and building a collective brand, today, Cua Khe fish sauce has become more known to many people.

In 2014, the Cua Khe fish sauce craft village was recognized by the People's Committee of the former Quang Nam province as a provincial-level traditional craft village, and a collective brand was built. After that, all fish sauce-making households participating in the craft village all used the Cua Khe fish sauce brand, along with each household's own name.

For example, Cua Khe Bon Thai fish sauce has been certified as a typical rural industrial product in 2024.

Besides, the young generation of the village has been educated successfully and has knowledge about business, so when they come back to develop the traditional profession, they have many initiatives to help Cua Khe fish sauce go further.

With the acumen of a bachelor of Economics , Mr. Ha Van Thuan has promoted the brand, introducing Cua Khe Tam Tuoi fish sauce products to many domestic and international markets.

Thanks to that, recently, the Cua Khe Tam Tuoi fish sauce facility has exported its first batch of 2,000 liters of fish sauce to the Japanese market. This is a good sign not only for the Tam Tuoi facility but also for the whole Cua Khe fish sauce craft village.

Cua Khe Tam Tuoi fish sauce facility has just exported a batch of 2,000 liters of traditional fish sauce to the Japanese market. (Photo: Quoc Dung/VNA)

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Thang An Commune, affirmed that the commune has many advantages in developing the marine economy, with a large number of boats, over 140 of which are fishing at sea. Thanks to that, the seafood processing sector is also developing strongly, with Cua Khe fish sauce village alone having about 60 business households, along with many good quality products.

Besides, Cua Khe fish sauce craft village is located between large tourist areas and resorts in the South of Hoi An, so it has a lot of potential for developing community tourism.

The craft village still retains the wild, natural beauty of a fishing village, the people are very friendly and hospitable. Some families have invested in and built homestays, attracting many domestic and international tourists. Bringing tourists to the traditional craft village not only helps introduce the local folk culture but also helps people earn more income from selling products.

Thang An Commune will continue to promote the traditional craft village, promote the Cua Khe fish sauce brand, apply science and technology to enhance the brand, and gradually bring products to domestic and international markets./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ghe-tham-lang-nghe-nuoc-mam-cua-khe-hon-100-nam-tuoi-o-da-nang-post1079078.vnp