If you are still contemplating on whether you should be ordering seafood sauce (น้ํา จิ้ม ซี ฟู๊ ด, which is the term in Thai) or not, knowing these interesting facts about it will easily help you make up your mind. if you want to discover what seafood sauce is all about, finding out what it has it has to offer and how it is made into every house having Vietnamese cuisine is crucial. It is a go-to ingredient for many and elevates the way food tastes, making it taste marvelous. Now, here are some facts that will open your eyes to this sauce which is more than just a condiment.

History Behind

Though a very popular part of Vietnamese cuisine and when used in Thai food, it is almost added everywhere, this condiment could be traced back to faraway Europe. It was very well known as garum in Ancient Rome. Archaeologists even identified garum as old as the fourth century BC and therefore could be understood that it is just not a new addition to the isles of the supermarket. Though the earlier ones were made a little differently from guts, blood, and whole fish. The taste of the sauce could vary dramatically depending on the fermenting process. 

There are many theories regarding how fish sauces were able to make their place known in Asia from Europe. One could try the fish sauce with skewers and pad Thai and get an excellent flavor that would stand out distinctly. 

Why It Stands Out?

Asian cuisine is something that would rely heavily on some basic ingredients and one of them would be the seafood sauce. But seafood sauces stand out because of the presence of Umami which is categorized among the five flavors that human tongues can taste. Usually, anchovies are placed in barrels covered in salt and could be fermented anywhere for months or years. The salt is known to slowly break the fish and as the mixture is pressed, it gives a salty fishy brine. 

It Is More Than Just A Condiment 

Not just used for salads, soups, but it is an essential ingredient and is used every day and has replaced table salt. There are two distinct names for it including nuoc mam in Vietnam and nam pla in Thailand. Rather than buying from markets, many households make their seafood sauce as well.

Therefore, these are some of the most interesting facts that one should know about seafood sauce and how it could subtly enhance the flavors of your food and is an everyday condiment placed on tables in Vietnamese and Thai households and food joints.