[Reading level: C1 – Advanced]
The first time Benoit Chaigneau tasted fish sauce, he was astonished by this special condiment and believed that “it makes Vietnamese cuisine stand out from the rest of the world.”
“Fish sauce carries the salty essence of fish, the sweetness of the sea, and a hint of caramel,” said Benoit Chaigneau, 53. He also believes that this condiment creates a “fifth flavor” (beyond sour, spicy, salty, and sweet) for dishes. “A tiny taste on the tip of the tongue can ignite the palate, like a delicate dance inside the mouth.”
As a food critic and host of a culinary show on France 2, he immediately thought of using fish sauce as a salt substitute in dishes like pasta, baked goods, and desserts.
In 2011, Benoit first came to Vietnam for work at the invitation of a television station. Traveling through many provinces and tasting food from street vendors to high-end restaurants, he realized that Vietnamese meals are incomplete without fish sauce, a condiment that ties everything on the table together.
On his flight back to France, his luggage contained bottles of traditional anchovy fish sauce.
For the next nine years, Benoit frequently returned to Vietnam. In early 2020, he found himself stranded in Quang Nam due to Covid-19. He decided to study fish sauce, learning about the preparation process and the ingredients that create this distinctive condiment.
Benoit embarked on a journey across Vietnam on an old motorbike, visiting fish sauce-producing regions. He discovered that every 100 kilometers, the taste of fish sauce changed due to variations in climate, fish quality, fishing techniques, and fermentation methods. He lived for months with fishermen in Cat Hai (Hai Phong), Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan), and Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), observing the gradual maturation of fish sauce and competing with locals for the first taste.
His favorite variety came from a craft village in Tam Ky, Quang Nam. Benoit asked an elderly woman to teach him the trade but was initially refused.
“I decided to hang my hammock outside her house and wait for her to change her mind,” Benoit recalled. Three days later, the woman finally relented and agreed to teach him. During his apprenticeship, Benoit learned how to select fish and salt, as well as the techniques of blending and fermentation.
Having grasped the fundamentals, the Frenchman dreamed of creating a high-end fish sauce with a twist in both flavor and presentation for use in fine dining restaurants.
“I want people to treat fish sauce the way the French cherish wine,” Benoit said. “Vietnamese fish sauce is like a flower distilled from the finest essence of the sea.”
To create new flavors, he searched for various spices and seeds to ferment with fresh fish sauce, observing their transformation over 3–6 months. The rented room in Quang Nam was constantly filled with the intense scent of salt and fermenting fish. The repetitive process of fermenting and tasting sometimes numbed his tongue to the point where he couldn’t taste anything else.
During that period, he felt as if he was “possessed by fish sauce.” Some nights, he would be lying in bed when a new idea struck him, prompting him to leap up and experiment with flavors until morning.
However, dozens of experimental batches were discarded due to unsatisfactory results. Then, at the end of 2020, Benoit accidentally discovered a bottle of fish sauce forgotten under the sink for over three months. It had developed a smoky aroma.
“This is the exact flavor!” Benoit exclaimed. “It didn’t taste like traditional fish sauce but had a smoky, intense umami flavor,” he recalled.
Once he perfected a stable formula, Benoit sent samples to his chef friends at fine dining establishments in France, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, receiving positive feedback. One chef admitted he had spent ten years trying to integrate fish sauce into Western cuisine without success—until he tried Benoit’s product.
“At that moment, I felt like I had built a bridge between Eastern cuisine and Western palates,” Benoit said.
Determined to launch his own fish sauce brand, Benoit took charge of everything—from production to sales. But as a first-time entrepreneur in a foreign country, he faced countless challenges.
Staying in Vietnam, his finances dwindled. Some days, while searching for ingredients, he ran out of money for lodging and had to sleep in a hammock by the roadside. Working closely with locals in Quang Nam and witnessing their families gathering for evening meals stirred up a deep sense of homesickness in Benoit.
Being a foreigner making fish sauce, his product was initially met with skepticism. Some even mocked him, thinking he was crazy.
“I didn’t argue, I just focused on my work,” Benoit said. However, there were moments when he felt lonely and considered returning to journalism. “I was already 50, and all I wanted was stability instead of chasing an uncertain dream.”
In mid-2021, Benoit returned to France to visit his family, grappling with the question: “Should I go back to making fish sauce?”
During a conversation with his daughter, she asked him, “Dad, you always taught me to follow through with what I start—so why aren’t you doing it?” Around the same time, friends in Vietnam and the chefs using his fish sauce kept asking, “Why did you stop? Why leave it unfinished?”
While in France, Benoit recalled a visit to a museum in Hue years earlier, where a friend discovered that his great-great-grandfather had once served in Emperor Gia Long’s court. “I was surprised and deeply moved, realizing that my connection to this country felt like destiny,” he said.
After many sleepless nights, Benoit booked a flight back to Vietnam. This time, he settled in Quang Nam, continuing his research into new varieties of fish sauce.
Using the same black anchovies, fermented in the traditional ratio of 3 kg of fish to 1 kg of salt, he expanded his creations beyond smoked fish sauce. He developed a pepper-infused fish sauce in a spray bottle for better portion control and a citrus-infused fish sauce called Fonzu, made with lemon, orange, and calamansi. Each 100 ml bottle is priced between 250,000–350,000 VND (approximately $10–$14).
For three years, Benoit focused on innovation while testing the market. Instead of mass marketing, he targeted top-tier chefs first.
Olivier Corti, Vice President of the international chefs’ association Disciples of Escoffier and owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Da Nang, regularly uses Benoit’s fish sauce in dishes such as French-style scallops, caviar with eggplant, truffle mushrooms, and pan-fried foie gras.
“Benoit’s fish sauce carries the spicy essence of the sea, with a natural, refined sweetness that I haven’t found in other fish sauces,” Corti remarked.
To expand internationally, Benoit’s brand is now securing food safety certifications in Europe and the U.S. His ultimate goal is to introduce Vietnamese fish sauce to fine dining restaurants worldwide.
In January 2025, Benoit plans to open a restaurant in Hoi An, where fish sauce will be the star ingredient in dishes such as fish sauce-infused mayonnaise, caramel fish sauce, and teriyaki fish sauce. He hopes to introduce new ways for Vietnamese people to enjoy fish sauce—but in a more sophisticated manner.
When asked why he left his career in television to dedicate himself to a condiment unfamiliar to most French people, Benoit simply said, “Maybe in a past life, I was Vietnamese.”
Source: https://vnexpress.net/nguoi-mang-nuoc-mam-viet-di-chinh-phuc-the-gioi-4834049.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fanpage_VnE&utm_campaign=phuonguyen&utm_term=link&fbclid=IwY2xjawIGnoNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHciypDJtDlVAK1zc2ueDHnssydOcCpWKyxdNb75VtRPcSNskehbuDoT5nQ_aem_t7fiTEoxLHRyxB6N9liNCA
WORD BANK:
astonish sb /əˈstɑː.nɪʃ/ [B2] (v): làm cho ngỡ ngàng
condiment /ˈkɑːn.də.mənt/ (n): gia vị
stand out from sb /stænd aʊt/ [B2] (phr v): khác biệt với ai đó
essence /ˈes.əns/ [C1] (n): bản chất, tinh chất
a hint of sth /hɪnt/ [B2] (n phr): một chút gì đó
the tip of the tongue /tɪp/ (n phr): đầu lưỡi
ignite the palate /ɪɡˈnaɪt ðə ˈpæl.ət/ (v phr): làm bùng nổ vị giác
delicate /ˈdel.ə.kət/ [B2] (adj): tinh tế
food critic /ˈfuːd ˌkrɪt̬.ɪk/ (n): nhà phê bình ẩm thực
culinary /ˈkʌl.ə.ner.i/ [C1] (adj): ẩm thực
substitute /ˈsʌb.stə.tuːt/ [B2] (n, v): thay thế
at the invitation of sb /ˌɪn.vəˈteɪ.ʃən/ (phr): qua lời mời của ai đó
street vendor /ˈstriːt ˌven.dɚ/ (n): người bán hàng rong
high-end /ˌhaɪˈend/ (adj): cao cấp
tie sth together /taɪ/ (v phr): kết nối, gắn kết
anchovy /ˈæn.tʃoʊ.vi/ (n): cá cơm
stranded /ˈstræn.dɪd/ [C1] (adj): mắc kẹt
distinctive /dɪˈstɪŋk.tɪv/ [C1] (adj): độc đáo, khác biệt
embark on sth /ɛmˈbɑːrk/ [C1] (v): bắt đầu một hành trình hoặc một việc gì đó quan trọng
fermentation /ˌfɝː.menˈteɪ.ʃən/ (n): quá trình lên men
trade /treɪd/ [B1] (n): nghề
hammock /ˈhæm.ək/ (n): võng
relent /rɪˈlent/ [C1] (v): dịu lại, nhân nhượng
apprenticeship /əˈpren.t̬ɪs.ʃɪp/ [C1] (n): quá trình học nghề
grasp sth /ɡræsp/ [B2] (v): nắm bắt, hiểu được
the fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmen.t̬əl/ [B2] (n): điều căn bản
twist /twɪst/ [B2] (n, v): biến tấu, thay đổi
presentation /ˌprez.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/ [B2] (n): hình thức trình bày
fine /faɪn/ [B2] (adj): cao cấp
cherish /ˈtʃer.ɪʃ/ [C1] (v): trân trọng
distill /dɪˈstɪl/ (v): chưng cất, chắt lọc
spice /spaɪs/ [B1] (n): gia vị
intense /ɪnˈtens/ [B2] (adj): mãnh liệt, đậm đặc
scent /sent/ [B2] (n): mùi thơm
numb /nʌm/ [C1] (v, adj): làm cho tê liệt
when a new idea strikes sb /straɪk/ (phr): khi một ý tưởng mới bất chợt đến với ai đó
batch /bætʃ/ [B2] (n): mẻ, đợt
discard /dɪˈskɑːrd/ [C1] (v): bỏ đi
smoky /ˈsmoʊ.ki/ (adj): có mùi khói
aroma /əˈroʊ.mə/ [B2] (n): hương thơm
establishment /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ.mənt/ [C1] (n): cơ sở, tổ chức
integrate sth into sth /ˈɪn.t̬ə.ɡreɪt/ [B2] (v): kết hợp cái gì vào cái gì
entrepreneur /ˌɑːn.trə.prəˈnɝː/ [C1] (n): doanh nhân
dwindle /ˈdwɪn.dəl/ [C1] (v): suy giảm, hao hụt
lodging /ˈlɑː.dʒɪŋ/ (n): chỗ ở tạm thời
stir up sth /stɝː/ [C1] (v): khơi dậy (ký ức, cảm xúc)
skepticism /ˈskep.tɪ.sɪ.zəm/ [C1] (n): sự hoài nghi
mock sb /mɑːk/ [C1] (v): chế giễu
journalism /ˈdʒɝː.nə.lɪ.zəm/ [B2] (n): ngành báo chí
grapple with sth /ˈɡræp.əl/ [C1] (v): vật lộn, cố gắng giải quyết
follow through /ˈfɑː.loʊ θruː/ [C1] (v): quyết tâm tới cùng
destiny /ˈdes.tə.ni/ [B2] (n): định mệnh
settle in somewhere /ˈset̬.əl/ [B2] (v): sinh sống ổn định ở nơi nào đó
infuse /ɪnˈfjuːz/ [C1] (v): truyền vào, pha vào
spray bottle /spreɪ ˈbɑː.t̬əl/ (n): bình xịt
citrus /ˈsɪt.rəs/ (n): cam chanh, quả có múi
calamansi /ˌkæ.ləˈmæn.si/ (n): trái tắc, quả quất
mass marketing /mæs ˈmɑːr.kɪ.t̬ɪŋ/ (n): tiếp thị đại trà
Michelin-starred restaurant /ˈmɪʃ.ə.lɪn stɑːrd ˈres.tə.rɑːnt/ (n): nhà hàng được Michelin gắn sao
scallop /ˈskɑː.ləp/ (n): sò điệp
caviar /ˈkæv.i.ɑːr/ (n): trứng cá muối
eggplant /ˈeɡ.plænt/ (n): cà tím
truffle /ˈtrʌf.əl/ (n): nấm cục
pan-fry /ˈpæn fraɪ/ (v): áp chảo
foie gras /fwɑː ˈɡrɑː/ (n): gan ngỗng béo
refine sth /rɪˈfaɪn/ [C1] (v): tinh chỉnh, làm cho tinh tế
secure sth /sɪˈkjʊr/ [B2] (v): giành được, có được cái gì
ultimate goal /ˈʌl.tə.mət ɡoʊl/ [B2] (n): mục tiêu cuối cùng
sophisticated /səˈfɪs.tɪ.keɪ.t̬ɪd/ [C1] (adj): cao cấp, tinh vi
dedicate oneself to sth /ˈded.ə.keɪt/ [B2] (v): cống hiến bản thân cho điều gì đó
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