Local Name Nam Pla Budu Pla ra Tua Nao Nam Poo Kapi Type of seasonings Fish sauce Fish sauce Fish sauce Soybean paste Crab paste Shrimp paste Region All region South North East North / North East North All region Properties Main ingredients Sea water fish : Cortica soborna, Stolephorus indicus, Stolephorus commersonii and Clupeoides sp. Sea water fish : Stolephorus indicus, Clupeoides sp.  and Sardinella sp. Fresh water fish : Trichogaster sp., Crossocheilus sp., Cyclocheilichthys sp.,  Labriobarbus leptocheillus, Puntius gonionotus Soy bean Freshwater crab : Sesarma mederi and Somanniathelpusa sp. Planktonic and semi-planktonic saltwater shrimp : Acetes erythraeus, Acetes sp., and Mesopodopsis orientalis Fermentation Period 18 months 3-6 months 6- 10 months 3-4 days 1 day 4-6 months Properties Clear, yellow or brownish yellow color, salty and fishy aroma A viscous brown liquid with grey colloidal fish flesh and salty A Yellowish brown to dark brown liquid with fish flesh, salty and little sour with a strong and characteristic flavor Brownish yellow paste or light brown dried chips with a little salty taste and strong smell Thick black paste with a salty taste and very strond characteristic aroma Dark color and strong smell paste with salty taste Chemical Compositions           Moisture (%) 70.6-76.7 58.7-74.4 28.9-68.3 13 20.8 26.6-55.0 Total Nitrogen g/100g             Protein (%) 1.8-2.2 9.3-12.6 7.9-20.3 31.3 30 7.7-27.0 Fat (%) 0.7-4.7 0.9-2.2 trace-6.3 23.4 1.4 0.1-3.9 Fibre (%) ND trace-0.5 trace-5.6 15.7 0.6 trace-1.9 Ash (%) 25.6-29.4 15.3-25.7 12.5-28.0 9.1 21.5 17.5-48.7 NaCl (%) 22.8-26.2 13.2-24.8 11.5-23.9 5.1 10.3 14.0-40.1 Total invert sugar (mg %) ND 0.1-2.3 trace-7.3 0.2 0 ND Acidity as lactic acid ND 0.8-3.8 0.5-2.0 3.3 1.1 trace-1.8 pH 5.7-6.0 4.2-6.9 4.1-6.9 5.6 6.6 4.0-8.2         (one sample analysed) (one sample analysed)

Table 1: Thai traditional seasonings and chemical compositions.