Traditional fish sauce and coarse salt appear more and more in modern kitchens - Photo: CHAU SA
This trend is widely shared on cooking groups, spreading from urban to rural areas with the belief that eating original food is better for health.
"Detox" the kitchen with fish sauce and coarse salt
For about two months now, Ms. An Vy (Da Nang) has been cleaning out her industrial spice jars and replacing them with traditional fish sauce, coarse salt, and homemade dry spices. The change started with a video analyzing the ingredients of industrial fish sauce that she happened to watch.
"I was surprised when I looked back at my hometown, where fish sauce is made, but for many years I used only industrial fish sauce. Since then, I switched to pure fish sauce, which is salty but has a strong fishy smell - a very real feeling. Using coarse salt to season the dish makes it not as "flavorful" as before, but it gives me a sense of security," said Ms. Vy.
On social media, more and more people are sharing their "kitchen detox" journey, switching to fish sauce and raw salt, removing additives and flavorings. Some people store raw salt for their own use, while others hunt for fish sauce from craft villages.
For Ms. Kim Phuong ( Quang Ngai ), coarse salt used to be used only to make fish sauce or lemon salt, but now it has become the main seasoning. She even bought a whole earthenware jar to store the salt because she believes that the longer the salt is stored and preserved properly, the sweeter it will be, and it will no longer be as bitter as imagined.
Which salt and fish sauce are good for health?
Dr. Tran Ba Thoai - member of the executive committee of the Vietnam Endocrinology - Diabetes Association, professional advisor of Hospital 199 ( Ministry of Public Security ) - said that consumers need to clearly distinguish between traditional hand-made fish sauce, traditional fish sauce produced on a large scale and industrial fish sauce.
"If we call it by its true nature, industrial fish sauce is a type of dipping sauce called fish sauce. This is a product made from water, salt, a part of anchovy essence (unknown content), along with many types of chemicals, flavoring agents, colorants, and odorants," said Mr. Thoai.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy, deputy head of the nutrition department at Da Nang Hospital, said the trend of switching to using raw salt and traditional fish sauce instead of refined salt and industrial fish sauce also reflects the increasingly careful food choices of today's housewives.
According to Dr. Thuy, although the food industry brings many conveniences and choices, it also poses many health risks. "The abuse of industrial foods, refined and processed foods with unbalanced nutritional composition, lacking essential micronutrients and minerals, and containing many additives, preservatives, flavorings, and flavor enhancers can easily lead to nutritional imbalance, affecting long-term health," Dr. Thuy warned.
Regarding fish sauce, Dr. Thuy said that according to Vietnamese Standard TCVN 5107:2003, fish sauce is classified based on total nitrogen content, reflecting the amount of protein from 10 to over 25g/l, corresponding to type 2 to special type. Meanwhile, industrial fish sauce (also known as dipping sauce) is often made from fermented fish extract (or vegetable protein such as beans), diluted with additives.
"One thing is for sure, fish sauce always has a higher protein content than dipping sauce. Traditional fish sauce usually has a protein content of about 25-28°N. Some special types such as fish sauce essence can reach 40-50°N, but this is a high-end line, less popular on the market.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), only products with a protein content above 10°N can be called fish sauce, below this threshold they should only be called dipping sauce," Dr. Thuy emphasized.
In addition, Dr. Thuy also analyzed the difference between refined salt and raw salt. Refined salt is a type of salt that has been refined, has a high purity (97-99% sodium chloride), and has almost no natural minerals - although iodine is often added. This type of salt often has a strong salty taste and lacks a sweet aftertaste.
In contrast, raw salt (sea salt) is a product obtained from the evaporation of seawater. In addition to sodium chloride (>80%), raw salt also contains many trace minerals such as sulfate, carbonate, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc... creating a characteristic sweet aftertaste.
From the above analysis, Dr. Thuy affirmed that prioritizing the use of traditional fish sauce and raw salt will help supplement the body with essential micro-minerals, although only needed in low concentrations, such as magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc...
This also helps limit the intake of unnecessary chemicals and additives from industrial products. "For meticulous housewives, this is also a more acceptable choice thanks to the natural, pure flavor of family meals," Dr. Thuy added.
Limit salt and salty seasonings.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy noted: salt and salt-containing spices such as fish sauce are familiar ingredients in meals, contributing to the deliciousness of the dish. However, salt contains up to 40% sodium - a substance that has been proven to be related to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, each normal person should only use less than 6g of salt/day.
People with cardiovascular and kidney diseases need to limit their salt intake depending on their health condition. In daily practice, limit the use of salt and salt-containing spices: reduce seasoning when cooking, limit dipping sauces on the table. At the same time, choose to buy products from reputable brands, read labels carefully to ensure quality and safety.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/muoi-mam-nao-tot-hon-cho-suc-khoe-20250710230422272.htm
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