Fish sauce from the Mekong Delta: the soul of the pioneering land.

Just a simple sentence like that, yet it evokes such a feeling of nostalgia. That's the nature of fish sauce from the Mekong Delta; the closer you are to it, the more you appreciate it, and the more you understand it, the more you cherish it.
Fish sauce is more than just a dish.

Fish sauce is a memory.
Fish sauce is a part of the culture.
Fish sauce has been a philosophy of life for people in Southern Vietnam for over three hundred years.

The origins of fish sauce - a dish that accompanied the pioneers in settling the land.

In the old days, when our ancestors sailed from central Vietnam to this new land, ahead lay wild forests, swamps, and ferocious animals; behind them was their distant homeland.

A wide variety of fish sauces are available in the Mekong Delta.

The greatest hardship is not just reclaiming land, but surviving in a place where land is vast but food is scarce.

There are plenty of fish in the river, but how can they be kept for long? Vegetables grow abundantly in the alluvial plains, but they're gone once the season is over.

"Fish sauce is not just a dish. Fish sauce is a memory."
Fish sauce is culture. Fish sauce has been the philosophy of life for the people of Southern Vietnam for over three hundred years.

So the people devised methods of salting, fermenting, and curing to preserve the flavor, to eat gradually, and to survive through the years. A clever display of indigenous knowledge, in harmony with nature, without fuss or waste.

And so fish sauce was born. Born from poverty, from hard work, from the instinct for survival, but over time, fish sauce ceased to be just a "food reserve," but became the very soul of an entire riverine culture.

Fish sauce - a fusion of flavors from many regions.

The Khmer people have prohok - bò hóc fish sauce.
The Cham people have various types of fish sauce made from sea fish.
The Vietnamese have had soy sauce, shrimp paste, and salted fish since ancient times.

When different ethnic groups live together in the delta region, they bring their own flavors, methods, and ways of thinking, and then blend them together, just like the fermented fish sauce in the earthenware jar on the porch.

The famous and flavorful fish sauce hotpot from the Mekong Delta.

Fish sauce from the Mekong Delta is therefore a culmination of many cultures: the saltiness from the Central Vietnamese sea, the natural sweetness from the Mekong Delta's alluvial soil, the pungent spiciness of the Khmer people, and the generous and open-minded spirit of the Vietnamese migrants.

Fish sauce from the Mekong Delta is a meeting of people who left their hometowns, sought out new homes, and built new ones.

Indigenous knowledge - the wisdom of the people.

Are all fish sauces the same?
No. Each region has its own way, each family has its own secret recipe.
Some people have to wait until the flood season to make fish sauce.
Some people only use small fish that have just started to surface and are carried along by the current.
Some people add leftover rice to make the fermented fish sauce sweeter.
Some people dry them in the sun for three days before putting them in a jar.
Some people say, "The deliciousness of fish sauce comes from the sunshine, the wind, and the luck of nature."
It's all folk knowledge, experience passed down through… my grandmother's spoonful of fish sauce and her toothless smile.
It's a philosophy of living in harmony with nature: not forcing nature, but respecting it. It's a principle of preservation: each jar of fish sauce is a piece of memory passed down through generations, a slice of history of a family.

The soul of the Mekong Delta - fish sauce is the people.

People in the Mekong Delta cherish fish sauce as much as they cherish themselves.
Hearty and full of affection. Simple yet profound.
Fish sauce can't hide anything. If it tastes good, they'll say it tastes good. If it has a strong smell, nobody is afraid to say so.

The straightforward and honest nature of people from the Mekong Delta seems to have permeated even the smell of fish sauce.

The pioneers of yesteryear were also like that: they weren't afraid of hardship, mud, or difficulties; but they were also incredibly generous, sincere, kind, and amiable.
Just like how people shared every piece of fish sauce among themselves during times of hardship.
Just like how people invite guests to their homes for a simple but heartfelt meal.
Just like how the locals view life with simple optimism: "Nothing is difficult, as long as we have fish sauce, we can make a living," "The fish makes the fish sauce, my dear old husband and wife love each other very much."

Fish sauce - a metaphor for a philosophy of life.

Fish sauce teaches us many things: A lot of salt helps preserve it for a long time – life is the same; sometimes you have to accept hardship to hold onto what you believe in. Slow fermentation makes it delicious – people are the same; they mature over time.

The aroma is strong, but the taste is rich – sometimes what seems unappealing on the surface holds profound value. Small fish make a large jar of fish sauce – even ordinary people can contribute to building a prosperous land.

Fish sauce is a simple, unpretentious, yet profound lesson.
People from the Mekong Delta are down-to-earth yet profound.
Someone once said, "If you go to the Mekong Delta and haven't eaten fermented fish paste, it's like you haven't really been there."
That's a funny saying, but it's true. Because fish sauce isn't just for eating.

Fish sauce evokes memories, affection, and understanding of the people of the Mekong Delta.

The jars of fish sauce placed on the porch have accompanied the pioneers for over three hundred years, becoming witnesses to countless changes.

From thatched houses along the river to bustling towns, fish sauce remains – a reminder that cultural identity doesn't lie in grand gestures, but in the fragrant, everyday jar of fish sauce.

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