A Vietnamese food processor has invented an odourless variety of fish sauce.
The traditional sauce, known as Nuoc Mam in Vietnamese, is essential seasoning in Vietnamese, (and other south-east Asian), cuisine and is widely popular for its taste. But it has one drawback – the smell of fermented fish, which is less well-liked.
Now the Hanh Phuc Food Processing Company, based in Ho Chi Minh city, has started to export the odourless variety and sold 100,000 bottles worth US$50,000 to the United States. Le Van Nam, general director of the company, said of the fish sauce “It can permeate several stories, or even a whole building, which is quite a nuisance for the neighbours. Odourless fish sauce is the answer.”
By Mark Rowe, just-food.com correspondent