鱼露 (yúlù) · fish sauce

Measure Word

一瓶鱼露 píng

Meanings

1 fish sauce

About the ingredient

调料 Seasonings

A thin, clear amber liquid drained from salted, fermented fish. It smells strong from the bottle but adds a salty, savoury depth; it is used in Fujian and Chaozhou cooking and in Southeast Asian dishes and dips.

Contains fish

Also called 鱼酱油

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

越南菜离不开鱼露。

Yuènán cài líbùkāi yúlù.

Vietnamese food cannot be made without fish sauce.

HSK 7-9

潮汕人做菜也常用鱼露代替盐。

Cháoshàn rén zuòcài yě chángyòng yúlù dàitì yán.

Chaoshan cooks also often use fish sauce in place of salt.

Tips

culture

Most associated in Chinese usage with Vietnamese (nước mắm) and Thai (น้ำปลา) cooking, but also a staple of Chaoshan and Fujianese cuisine - fermented anchovy brine used as a salting and umami-giving condiment. 露 here means 'distilled liquid', the same 露 as in 玫瑰露 (rose extract).