Nam O fish sauce village

Speaking of Nam O fish sauce, it can be said that this is a specialty of Quang people.

Nam O fish sauce village was formed in the early 20th century. Nam O is a small fishing village located at the mouth of the Cu De River, at the foot of the Hai Van Pass, now in Hoa Hiep Ward, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City. Nam O fish sauce has long been famous in the domestic and foreign markets. Nam O fish sauce is not only famous for its aroma but also permeates a stretch of the main road across Vietnam that is more than a kilometer long. Visitors passing by here can smell the unmistakable smell of fish sauce, lingering in the minds of passersby.

What makes Nam O fish sauce brand special is probably the processing recipe. Nam O fish sauce is made from anchovies, caught in the third lunar month (because it has a very high protein content), selected just right, and not washed with fresh water because it will make the fish lose its taste, and if left for a long time it will rot. The price of normal anchovies is about 2,500-3,000 VND/kg, anchovies in Nam O are up to 6,000 VND/kg but not always available. The jar for salting fish must be made of jackfruit wood, the bottom of the jar must be filled with gravel, brooms and the fish sauce must be filtered with rice to ensure the fish sauce is pure and fragrant. A jar usually holds 200-300 kg of fish, after 12 months it produces about 100-150 liters of grade 1 fish sauce. The rest is filtered into grade 2 and grade 3 fish sauce and sold at cheap prices.

When mixing the fish, pay attention to make sure the fish is evenly salted and not crushed. Slowly arrange each layer into the jar, containing the salted fish. Place a bamboo or dried areca leaf woven grid on top and secure it. Cover the lid tightly, put it in a dark, dry, clean, airtight room, and keep the temperature moderate. After about six or seven months, mix the salted fish again. When the grid appears a white enamel layer, remove the grid and scoop out the enamel layer. Salt the fish in March, near the Lunar New Year, start filtering the fish sauce. Gently remove the grid, mix the fish sauce evenly and use a fine cloth to filter the fish sauce. The fish sauce flows slowly, has a dark red color like the color of cockroach wings, and the aroma is very attractive.

And another important thing is that the salt used to marinate the fish must be from Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Quang Ngai, Binh Thuan , with pure white, large, old grains, exposed to the sun, not exposed to rain, brought back and poured on a dry cement floor for five to seven days to drain all the bitter water, then put in a jar and stored for a few years before using.

Currently, the Nam O Traditional Fish Sauce Craft Village Association has been established and recognized by the Vietnam Intellectual Property Office and granted a Collective Trademark Certificate to the Craft Village Association.

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