A salt-fermented freshwater fish paste, locally called pa daek in Laos, has been popularly used countrywide as an all-purpose seasoning as well as a protein-rich preservative food. Although commercial products are currently available in markets, the in-house production and consumption of pa daek utilizing various indigenous freshwater fish species from surrounding water environments such as rivers and paddy ponds continues today in rural households in the country. An interview survey of 137 households in a semi-mountainous rural village revealed frequent use of the pa daek in the daily diets. The concentrations of lactic and glutamic acids, which are closely related to the preservability and palatability of pa daek, varied widely among the homemade products examined, indicating the need for the widespread dissemination of knowledge and techniques of the pa daek production between rural households to manage the long-term fermentation and use of the product.