Phu quoc fish sauce waters around The island are rich in seaweed and plankton which provide food for the anchovy population. However, it only since the late 1950s that the product has been recognized outside of its home island, reaching its zenith of popularity between 1965 and 1975. With increasing government subsidies of many industries in the period from 1975 to 1985, the local fish sauce craft lost market share to larger competitors, but in recent years, the popularity of the authentic Phu Quoc product has been rebounding. In 2012, Phu Quoc fish sauce was granted a European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
Fish sauce Fish sauce is not only added to dishes as a seasoning, but also used as a base in dipping sauces. Sauces that included fermented fish parts with other ingredients such as meat and soy bean were recorded in China 2300 years ago. During the Zhou dynasty of ancient China, fish fermented with soybeans and salt was used as a condiment. By the time of the Han dynasty, soy beans were fermented without the fish into soy paste and its by-product soy sauce. with fermented fish-based sauces developing separately into fish sauce. A fish sauce, called "kôechiap" in Hokkien Chinese, or