A Study on the Identity Identification of Pickled Fish in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province for Brand Communication

Abstract

Pickled fish or Southern pickled fish is food preservation by using Oun or toasted rice to ferment the fish to have a sour taste. Pickled fish is considered a local food of Nakhon Si Thammarat province. This research; therefore, the objective was to identify the identity of pickled fish of each entrepreneur and to identify the collective identity of pickled fish in Nakhon Si Thammarat province for brand communication. There were 8 entrepreneur groups of pickled fish in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province as key informants with the in-depth interview form and the group discussion interview form. The results revealed that the identities, which were distinctive processes of pickled fish production, were different for each group of entrepreneurs beginning with the selection of raw materials that were mostly locally sourced either the fish and Oun or the toasted rice used to ferment the fish. The production process of some groups is entirely handmade. Recipes in production are mostly inherited from ancestors. It was the specific wisdom of the group that make the appropriate sour taste and is modified in other menus. The quality has received FDA or various certifications, packaging that matches the needs of consumers as well as creating a career and generating income for people in the community. For the collective identities of Nakhon Si Thammarat Pickled fish consisting of Oun or toasted rice, must be good, making an appropriate sour taste, Oun or roasted rice were important raw materials used in the preservation of fish in toasted rice. It can be applied to other menus. It is naturally fermented and the entrepreneurs use only fresh fish.