Phu Quoc fish sauce facts for kids

Phu Quoc fish sauce is a special type of fish sauce made on Phu Quoc island in southwest Vietnam. This island is famous for its unique way of making this sauce.

Since 2001, the government of Vietnam has protected the name "Phu Quoc Fish Sauce." This means only certain companies can use this name in Vietnam. It's like a special brand name. In 2012, this fish sauce also got a special status in Europe called a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). This means it's recognized as a unique product from a specific place.

What Makes This Sauce Special?

For over 200 years, traditional Phu Quoc fish sauce has been made using only three things: anchovies, salt, and water. The waters around Phu Quoc island are full of seaweed and tiny living things called plankton. These are the perfect food for anchovies.

The sauce became well-known outside the island in the late 1950s. It was very popular between 1965 and 1975. Later, other types of fish sauce became more common. But recently, the real Phu Quoc fish sauce has become popular again. Today, about 8 million liters of Phu Quoc fish sauce are made each year.

How Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Is Made

Phu Quoc fish sauce is made by letting anchovies ferment in salty water. This happens in very large wooden barrels. These barrels can be up to 3 meters (about 10 feet) wide and 4 meters (about 13 feet) tall. Each barrel can hold 7 to 13 tons of anchovies and salt!

The barrels are made from strong, braided rattan vines found in the local mountains. These special barrels can be used for as long as 60 years.

Only anchovies caught near Phu Quoc island are used for this sauce. The best time to catch them is from July to December. Fishermen catch the anchovies with nets. They carefully separate the anchovies from other fish. Then, they mix the anchovies with salt right away, using three parts anchovies to one part salt.

Why It Looks Different

Phu Quoc fish sauce has a special color. This color comes only from the natural ingredients used to make it. No extra colors are added to the sauce.

Challenges for Phu Quoc Fish Sauce

Even though it's special, Phu Quoc fish sauce faces some challenges:

• The anchovy population is shrinking. This is due to too much fishing and other environmental problems.
• Some other companies have used the "Phu Quoc" name in the past. This happened before the name was officially protected. This made it harder for the real Phu Quoc fish sauce to get its name protected in some other countries.