A Brief History of Fish Sauce

Fish sauce, a pungent yet essential condiment, is deeply woven into the culinary fabric of Southeast Asia, known as nuoc mam in Vietnam or nam pla in Thailand. Made from just fish and salt fermented for months, its strong umami profile makes it a crucial flavor enhancer, but its historical journey is far more intricate and globally reaching than many realize.

• Modern fish sauce is a staple across Southeast Asia, consumed by the vast majority of households in countries like Vietnam, and used in myriad dishes from marinades to omelets.
• Its earliest origins are fiercely debated, with theories pointing to Ancient Greece, Rome, China, or Vietnam, making a definitive single point of origin hard to pinpoint.
• Food historian Sally Grainger clarifies that Roman fish sauce, commonly referred to as garum, was actually liquamen—a condiment made from whole small fish—while true garum was a thicker, darker product made from fish blood and viscera, consumed by the elite.
• Roman liquamen was widely used across the Mediterranean, serving as a fundamental seasoning often in place of salt, with Pompeii being a famous production hub.
• A 2025 study involving ancient DNA from a Roman salting vat in Spain confirmed the use of European sardines and an astounding 2000 years of genetic continuity in fish populations.
• The decline of fish sauce in the West was attributed to factors like salt taxes, piracy, and a cultural/religious prohibition on consuming blood in the later Roman period, which particularly affected garum.
• The debate over Asian origins continues: some suggest independent development, others a Chinese tradition of fermenting fish with beans, or even Roman fish sauce traveling East via the Silk Road.
• Vietnamese scholars, however, emphasize its indigenous cultural significance, noting nuoc mam's presence in Vietnamese creation myths and its essential role in their national identity.