Fish sauce

Alternative Chinese nameTraditional Chinese蝦油Simplified Chinese虾油Second alternative Chinese nameTraditional Chineseé­šæ°´Simplified Chinese鱼水Burmese nameBurmeseငါးငံပြာရည် (ngan bya yay)Vietnamese nameVietnamese alphabetnÆ°á»›c mắmChữ Nôm渃𩻐Thai nameThaiน้ำปลาRTGSnam plaKorean nameHangul어장Hanja魚醬Japanese nameKanji魚醤KanaぎょしょうKyÅ«jitai魚醬Malay nameMalaykicap ikan, sos ikanIndonesian nameIndonesiankecap ikanFilipino nameTagalogpatisLao nameLaoນ້ຳປາ (nam pā)Khmer nameKhmerទឹកត្រី (tɨk trÉ™y)

Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Some garum-related fish sauces have been used in the West since the Roman times.

Due to its ability to add 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.

Fish sauce is used as a seasoning during or after cooking, and as a base in dipping sauces. Soy sauce is regarded by some in the West as a vegetarian alternative to fish sauce though they are very different in flavor.