Frenchman’s passion brings Vietnamese fish sauce to fine dining

"Fish sauce carries the salty essence of fish, the sweetness of the sea, and a hint of caramel," the 53-year-old Frenchman says.

Once a food critic and host of a culinary show on France 2 television channel, he describes it as the "fifth taste" beyond sour, spicy, salty, and sweet. "Just a drop on the tongue creates an explosion of flavor, like a delicate dance in the mouth."

Intrigued, he envisioned using fish sauce as a substitute for salt in pasta, pastries and desserts.

Benoit Chaigneau traveled alone across Vietnam by motorbike for months to learn the art of fish sauce production. Photo courtesy of Chaigneau

In 2011 he arrived in Vietnam for a television project. As he explored the country, he noticed that fish sauce was a staple in every meal whether street food or fine dining. As he packed his bags to return to France, he took bottles of traditional anchovy-based fish sauce.

Over the next nine years he regularly visited Vietnam. By 2020 he decided to fully immerse himself in fish sauce production, studying its ingredients and fermentation process. Traveling by motorbike across the country, he discovered that fish sauce flavors changed every 100 km due to variations in climate, fish quality and fermentation techniques.

He lived with fishermen in various villages along the way, observing every step of the process and persuading locals to let him have the first taste of each batch. His favorite came from a village in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province. He sought mentorship from an elderly artisan but was initially refused.

"I decided to hang my hammock in front of her house and wait for her to change her mind," he recalls.

Three days later she agreed to teach him. He learned to select fish and salt, blend ingredients and master fermentation. With his new knowledge he aimed to create a premium fish sauce with refined flavors and presentation for high-end dining.

"I want people to appreciate fish sauce the way the French revere wine," he says. "Vietnamese fish sauce is like a delicate flower distilled from the sea’s purest essence."

Chaigneau studying the process of making fish sauce from a lady in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province in 2020. Photo courtesy of Chaigneau

He experimented by fermenting fish sauce with various spices, observing transformations over months. His rented room in Quang Nam reeked of fermenting fish, and constant taste-testing numbed his palate. Consumed by the process, he often woke in the middle of the night with new ideas, spending hours mixing and tasting. Many batches failed, but in late 2020 he discovered a forgotten bottle of fish sauce under his sink that had developed a smoky aroma. "This is the exact flavor I am looking for!" he exclaimed at that time.

"It did not taste like traditional fish sauce but had a smoky, rich umami profile," he says.

When he perfected his formula, he sent samples to chef friends in France, Hong Kong and Vietnam. One chef, who had struggled for years to integrate fish sauce into western cuisine, finally succeeded using Chaigneau’s creation. "At that moment I felt like I had built a bridge between Asian cuisine and western palates," Chaigneau says.

Launching his own fish sauce brand, he managed everything from production to sales. However, financial struggles mounted as he stayed in Vietnam. On sourcing trips he sometimes ran out of money and had to sleep in roadside hammocks. As he worked alongside Quang Nam villagers, he watched them gather for warm family dinners—moments that deepened his loneliness and made him long for home.

Many locals were skeptical about a foreigner making fish sauce, with some even ridiculing him. "I did not argue; I just kept working," he says. At times he considered returning to journalism. "I was 50 then, and all I wanted was stability rather than chasing a dream with no clear destination."

In mid-2021 he returned to France, uncertain about continuing. His daughter confronted him, saying: "You always tell me to see things through. Why are you giving up?" Friends and chefs in Vietnam echoed the sentiment, urging him not to abandon his work.

While in France, he recalled a visit to a museum in Hue years earlier, where he learned that his great-grandfather had served in the court of King Gia Long (founder of the Nguyen Dynasty and sovereign from 1802 to 1820). "I was both surprised and moved, realizing that my connection to this country felt like destiny," he says.

After sleepless nights he booked a ticket back to Vietnam, settling again in Quang Nam to develop new fish sauce varieties. Beyond his signature smoked fish sauce, he created a pepper-infused spray version for precise seasoning and Fonzu sauce flavored with lemon, orange and calamansi. His products are priced between VND250,000 (US$9.93) and VND350,000 per 100 ml bottle.

Chaigneau frequently experiments with new flavors by fermenting fresh fish sauce with various spices and fruits. Photo courtesy of Chaigneau

For three years he focused on innovation rather than mass production, targeting top chefs first.

Olivier Corti, vice president of the Disciples of Escoffier international chefs association and owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Da Nang, regularly uses Chaigneau’s fish sauce in dishes like French-style scallops, eggplant caviar, truffle mushrooms, and pan-seared foie gras.

"Benoit’s fish sauce has a natural sweetness with a subtle oceanic spiciness, offering a depth rarely found in other fish sauces I have used," he says.

To expand internationally, Chaigneau is securing food safety certifications from European and U.S. regulators. His goal is to introduce Vietnamese fish sauce to the world’s top restaurants. He plans to open a restaurant in Hoi An in 2025 featuring dishes like fish sauce mayonnaise, fish sauce caramel and fish sauce teriyaki.

"I want Vietnamese people to experience fish sauce in new ways," he says.

When asked why he left television to dedicate himself to an unfamiliar ingredient, he replies: "Perhaps in my past life I was Vietnamese."