It is called uyap or alamang in the southern Philippines, aramang in Ilocos and parts of Northern Luzon, and ginamos or dayok in western Visayas.

[11] Bagoong isda is prepared by mixing salt and fish usually by volume; mixture proportions are proprietary depending on the manufacturer.

[12] The mixture is kept inside large earthen fermentation jars (known as tapayan in Tagalog and Visayan languages, and burnay in Ilocano).

[13] It is covered, to keep insects away, and left to ferment for 30–90 days with occasional stirring to make sure the salt is spread evenly.

Likewise, oversalting and undersalting also has a significant impact on the rate and quality of fermentation due to their effects on the bacteria involved in the process.

Indonesia has an East Javanese condiment called petis (pronounced similar to patís in Filipino): a paste made from the caramelized fermented reduction of pindang broth, a spicy and tangy herbal soup typically containing fish or shrimp (occasionally, beef or eggs).

During the longer fermentation processes, the fish or shrimp constituents disintegrate further, producing a clear yellowish liquid on top of the mixture due to hydrolysis.

[3] Over the centuries, people unfamiliar with bagoong have given it a reputation as an "exotic" dish, portraying in a positive or negative light, depending on the point of view of the writer.

"[15] This later prompted preeminent Philippine nationalist Jose Rizal to denounce the descriptions in his 1890 annotation, saying: This is another preoccupation of the Spaniards who, like any other nation, treat food to which they are not accustomed or is unknown to them with disgust.