Vietnam's Sour Fish Soup Recognized among Top 10 by TasteAtlas

Sour fish soup (locally known as canh ca chua), a very popular dish in Vietnamese daily meals, is listed among the Top 10 best rated fish dishes in the world by cuisine magazine TasteAtlas, VOV reported.

According to the publication, the dish was given a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars to surpass many popular international dishes such as Japan’s Unadon, Sashimi, and Salmon nigiri sushi; and the Republic of Korea’s Chamchi gimbap.

Traditional sour fish soup is a favourite dish among people in their daily meals, particularly in the summer. Photo: congly.vn

TasteAtlas said that the term Canh chua cá encompasses various fish-based Vietnamese soups that are characterized by their combination of sweet, spicy, and sour tastes.

“The soups are usually made with a tamarind-based broth, and they typically include chunks of pineapple, tomatoes, okra, bean sprouts, or other vegetables,” it noted.

The food magazine also revealed that most varieties are prepared with catfish, although some versions do include ingredients such as carp, snakehead fish, eels, and salmon. These soups are usually topped with cilantro and served with rice on the side.

In the northern region, sour fish soup is cooked with dracontomelon or fruit of a plant named 'Garcinia cowa', or 'qua doc' in Vietnamese. Sugar is not used in order to preserve the natural flavor of the ingredients.

Meanwhile, cooks in the country's southern and southwestern regions often add some sugar to the soup along with very hot chilli, said professional chef Pham Tuan Hai, one of the judges of the Vietnam Master Chef Programme.

In modern days, despite the much-improved living standards of the people, traditional sour fish soup is still most chosen not only in the summer, but also in the winter to warm the body.

Rounding off the list is Pempek of Indonesia; Shorshe ilish of India; Tekkadon, Otoro nigiri sushi, Maguro nigiri sushi, and Chutoro nigiri sushi of Japan; Gravlax of Northern Europe, along with Lohikeitto and Kalakeitto of Finland.

Earlier, Vietnam’s sweet and sour soup ranked 11th in a list of 53 best Asian fish dishes by the same cuisine magazine.

In 2022, the Vietnamese sour fish soup has been recognized, for the first time, among the top 10 Best Rated Fish Soups in the world by TasteAtlas.

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