On 15/9, the culinary guide TasteAtlas updated its ranking of the "34 best sauces in the world," placing Vietnamese garlic chili fish sauce third with a score of 4,3 out of 5 points. This ranking compiles 1.800 reviews from readers and experts, with over 1.550 deemed valid.

Sweet and sour garlic chili fish sauce. *Photo: Bui Thuy*

TasteAtlas describes garlic chili fish sauce as a familiar condiment in Vietnamese cuisine. It is prepared from lime juice (or vinegar), sugar, water, and fish sauce, creating a harmonious sweet, sour, and salty flavor. Additional ingredients may include minced garlic, chili, ginger, or various herbs.

This dipping sauce features many regional variations, with recipes often tailored to specific accompanying dishes. Typically, it is served with fried spring rolls (nem ran or cha gio), savory pancakes (banh xeo), various meat or seafood dishes, and as an accompaniment to vermicelli, noodles, and soups.

Vietnam's second representative on the list is mam nem, a dipping sauce made from fermented anchovies, which ranked 15th. Mam nem has a richer flavor and a more distinctive aroma compared to regular fish sauce.

Mam nem is made from fresh local fish such as thang anchovies, mackerel, herring, gio hot dua fish, and liet fish. *Photo: Bui Thuy*

Topping the list is France's fondue jurassienne, a cheese sauce blended with white wine. Ethiopia's awaze, a spicy sauce made from berbere spices, honey wine, and oil, secured the second position.

TasteAtlas culinary rankings are based on evaluations from both its user community and experts. The platform employs a mechanism to verify real users, filters out locally biased reviews, and gives increased weight to assessments from individuals with specialized culinary knowledge.

TasteAtlas is an online platform dedicated to cuisine, focusing on discovering, ranking, and promoting traditional dishes, ingredients, and local restaurants worldwide. Founded in Zagreb, Croatia, TasteAtlas functions as a digital culinary map, offering detailed information on dishes, recipes, and their cultural stories.

Tuan Anh (According to TasteAtlas)