The rich flavor of traditional Cua Khe fish sauce

The traditional fish sauce village of Cua Khe, located in Binh Duong commune, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province, Vietnam, has long been famous far and wide. When mentioning this craft village, everyone in Quang Nam knows the saying: "First Cua Khe fish sauce, second Long Phu tea". Over the years, Cua Khe traditional fish sauce has not only been maintained but also developed into an OCOP product, trusted by consumers nationwide.

Among the many traditional fish sauces of Quang Nam, Cua Khe fish sauce stands out because it is made from anchovies, not mixed with any other fish, so it has a very unique flavor. The process of making traditional fish sauce is quite hard, from selecting fish, salting fish, filtering fish sauce... through many elaborate and time-consuming stages. However, the fishermen here are still dedicated to their profession, always focusing on product quality and putting prestige first to maintain the traditional brand that their ancestors left behind.

Cua Khe fish sauce, like the fish sauce of the South Hoi An region in general, is made from anchovies using the traditional manual fermentation method. The fish is marinated with salt in a ratio of 3 kg of fish - 1 kg of salt, or 2 kg of fish - 1 kg of salt. This mixture will be marinated in an outdoor tank for about 6 months, then brought to a cool place to ferment for about 3 months to soften the fish sauce. After 9-12 months of fermentation, the fish and salt will be filtered to get the fish sauce. During the salt mixing stage, the fish and salt are put into a fermenting tank and fermented anaerobically in a wooden barrel for 12-13 months without being crushed or stirred.

During the entire incubation period, the craftsmen diligently check and evaluate the quality of the fish sauce in each barrel, ensuring that the quality of the fish sauce essence is always stable and meets the standards. After 12-13 months of care, the fish sauce will mature, the extracted water will have a strong aroma, be clear, and be straw yellow to brown in color. These first drops of fish sauce are called "mam nhi" or "mam cot", the following batches are called "mam nhat", "mam nhi", etc.

Among the five children who have inherited the traditional fish sauce making business from their grandfather, Ha Van Thuan was entrusted by his father to take over the entire family fish sauce production facility. Inheriting valuable experience in the traditional fish sauce making process and thanks to the enthusiasm and acumen of youth, Thuan has continuously researched and learned to improve the quality and diversify product lines.

With pride in the traditional fish sauce profession, Mr. Vo Nguyen Tung also followed his family's business. Young people like him are always struggling to find ways to develop and expand the market share of the Cua Khe fish sauce brand in the current market.

Complying with a closed production process and ensuring food safety and hygiene standards, Cua Khe fish sauce products always ensure protein and salt content, without using additives or colorants. Currently, the total annual fish sauce output of Cua Khe craft village is about 120,000 - 150,000 liters.

The collective trademark “Cua Khe Fish Sauce” has been granted by the Intellectual Property Office and the title “Cua Khe Fish Sauce Traditional Craft Village” has been recognized by the People’s Committee of Quang Nam province. This helps create favorable conditions for people to expand their consumption markets and improve the competitiveness of their products. The local government has also actively guided and strengthened cooperatives to support production and solve product output for members. At the same time, Cua Khe fish sauce has participated in the province’s “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) program and achieved 3-4 star standards.

Like many other fish sauce brands in the South Hoi An region, Cua Khe fish sauce is not only sold retail and wholesale to long-time customers, shops and restaurants in neighboring provinces, but is also present in large supermarket chains nationwide. Many companies have come to the craft village to sign contracts to sell their products. In particular, the villagers have also quickly opened mini supermarkets in big cities to promote and bring their products closer to consumers.

Nowadays, despite facing fierce competition from industrial fish sauces and dipping sauces, fishermen making fish sauce in Cua Khe and Nam Hoi An still maintain the traditional fish sauce making process with the main ingredients being anchovies and salt. With the motto of not chasing quantity but focusing on quality, Cua Khe and Nam Hoi An fish sauce still maintain their own unique brand, which cannot be confused.