nam plan.
/ˌnɑːm ˈplɑː/, /ˌnam ˈplɑː/, U.S. /ˈnɑm ˈplɑ/ Cookery.
A thin, amber-coloured sauce made from fermented fish, with a pungent, salty flavour, widely used in Thai cookery, esp. as a condiment.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > additive > sauce or dressing > [noun] > sauces made with fish
anchovy sauce1654
oyster sauce1727
cockle sauce1755
garum1766
liquamen1804
fish-brine1820
nuoc mam1885
bagoong1910
nam pla1931
1931 C. C. Zimmerman Siam xlii. 307 The nam pla consists of about 60 per cent water, more than 30 per cent salt, and about 7 per cent fish extractive.
1955 J. E. deYoung Village Life in Mod. Thailand 101 Much of the yearly catch of pla soi is fermented into the familiar nam pla paste, a basic ingredient in curry in the central plains.
1969 R. Howe Far Eastern Cookery 91 Add the nam pla, then the chicken, shrimps and pork.
1978 J. Passmore All Asian Cookbk. (1979) 51/2 Nam Pla is a strongly flavoured salty fish sauce produced by fermentation of dried fish. It is used constantly in Thai food.
1990 Gourmet Nov. 150/1 A good introduction to characteristic Thai fare..is..naam pla (clear, lightly saline ‘fish sauce’).
2001 Observer 6 May (Life Suppl.) 50/2 Nam pla will add deep savour to any clear soup or salad dressing you shake the bottle into.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1931