Fish sauce is often made from anchovies, salt, and water, and is intensely flavoured. Anchovies and salt are arranged in wooden barrels to ferment and are slowly pressed, yielding the salty, fishy liquid. The salt extracts the liquid via osmosis. Southeast Asians generally use fish sauce as a cooking sauce. However, there is a sweet and sour version of this sauce which is used more commonly as a dipping sauce (see "nước chấm"). Fish sauce in Burma is called "ngan bya yay" (ငံပြာရည်). In Cambodia, fish sauce is known as "teuk trei" (ទឹកត្រី), of which there are a variety of sauces using
Fish sauce Fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in the cuisines of Southeast and East Asia, particularly Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Thai, Lao, and Vietnamese. Following widespread recognition of its ability to impart a savory umami flavor to dishes, it has been embraced globally by chefs and home cooks. The "umami" flavor in fish sauce is due to its glutamate content. Soy sauce is regarded by some in the West as a vegetarian alternative to fish sauce.