Fish sauce market - unique feature of the border region

Originating from the need to preserve large amounts of fish after catching, ancient people came up with the idea of making fish sauce to store as a long-term food. Over time, this rustic dish has become a specialty dish. In particular, in Chau Doc ward, there is a fish sauce market that has been bustling for the past several decades.

Variety of fish sauce at Chau Doc market

The feat of creating a specialty

Coming to Chau Doc fish sauce market, talking to experienced traders, everyone can clearly talk about the basic fish sauce making process, but no one knows where fish sauce originated, they only know that it is a profession passed down from parents and grandparents to develop the family economy . Originating from traditional, manual, small-scale production, over the years, fish sauce sold at Chau Doc market has developed a variety of types and is produced on a large scale. Making fish sauce is very elaborate, it must go through many processing stages for carefully selected fresh fish ingredients to produce quality finished products, with the typical flavor of the Southwest region.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai (owner of a fish sauce stall at Chau Doc market) said: “After being selected, classified, cleaned, the fish is marinated with coarse salt in the appropriate ratio, stored in a jar. After about 30 days, the salted fish is taken out, washed, drained, and then sprinkled with rice bran. Rice bran used to marinate the fish is made from roasted rice, ground into a yellow powder with a characteristic aroma. Making rice bran is considered an important step in the fish sauce making process, determining the deliciousness of the fish sauce. After being branized, the fish is placed in layers back into jars, using a piece of padding or a piece of woven basket to cover the surface, then using bamboo sticks to cross so that the cover does not leave any gaps between the fish layer and the mouth of the jar or jar. Next, pour a layer of fish sauce made from freshwater fish on top of the cover. After 2-3 months, this layer of fish sauce will turn red and clear, indicating that the fish sauce has been successfully fermented, and can be taken out and mixed with sugar. Depending on taste, each producer will have a marinade recipe. and ferment the fish sauce separately. The fish sauce can be used after fermenting with sugar for about 3-5 days.

Although they are all in the same fish sauce making business, the production process ensures the basic steps in the fish sauce making process, but each traditional fish sauce warehouse in Chau Doc has its own “secret”. They may differ in the ingredients, the time to salt the fish, the powder, or the recipe, the ratio of ingredients… to create fish sauce products with the unique flavor of each production facility.

Variety of species

Considered the "fish sauce capital" of the Southwest region, Chau Doc fish sauce market has been established for a long time, creating a unique feature, attracting tourists to visit every time they come to Chau Doc ward for sightseeing and tourism . This market sells many famous types of fish sauce, such as: Snakehead fish sauce, linh fish sauce, sac fish sauce, Thai fish sauce, snakehead fish sauce, climbing perch fish sauce, sour shrimp sauce, and su fish sauce... There are stalls that have been in operation for nearly a few decades, and there are "young" stalls that are descendants of long-standing production establishments. However, most of them are large-scale, applying technology and machinery in production, producing quality fish sauce products, ensuring food hygiene and safety. Currently, fish sauce products of many production households have been exported to many domestic and foreign markets.

During the Sam Mountain Ba Chua Xu Festival, the number of visitors coming to visit and buy specialties at Chau Doc market is very large. Ms. Le Ngoc Anh (a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City) said: “Every time I come to Chau Doc, I stop by the fish sauce market to buy specialties as gifts for friends and relatives. Due to regional characteristics, Chau Doc fish sauce may not suit the taste of some diners from other regions, but for me, this is a product worth buying as a gift, and the fish sauce market is a place that visitors to An Giang should visit to see the special features of the border region”.

The reason why fish sauce is chosen by many tourists as a gift is because it can be processed into many delicious dishes depending on the characteristics of each type of raw fish. Normally, fish sauce is enjoyed by eating it raw or combining it with many other ingredients to make fried dishes, hot pot, braised fish sauce or steamed fish sauce... If eaten raw, people often choose Thai fish sauce made from boneless snakehead fish meat, chopped into small pieces, mixed with spices and shredded papaya. Some people also like to eat raw fish sauce made from small fish sauce that has been fermented for a long enough time, mixed with vinegar, garlic, and sugar to enjoy. In particular, the way of processing fish sauce combined with fresh fish and accompanying vegetables has created delicious dishes that attract diners, helping diners to fully experience the essence of the typical fish sauce dish created by the hands of the people of the Southwest.

If in the past, making fish sauce at home was only to preserve food for a long time, then over the years, the fish sauce making profession has become a manufacturing industry that brings economic value. From a daily dish of the local people, Chau Doc fish sauce has become a famous specialty, known by many people, becoming a delicious dish that makes visitors to An Giang remember. From the fish sauce business, many families have become well-off. There are many long-standing fish sauce warehouses, passed down through many generations, famous for decades.

MY LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/cho-mam-net-doc-dao-vung-bien-a424226.html