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Garum - it's what Romans crave! (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Explanation: Romans were inordinately fond of a kind of fermented fish sauce they called garum. Like wine, it had low-quality varieties, which, also like low-quality wine, were considered the essential part of even a slave's rations; and high-quality varieties, which could cost a year's wages for a common laborer for a single container! The Romans put their fermented fish sauce in everything - on their bread, in their porridge, on their salads, even in their wine! De gustibus non disputandem est - there's no accounting for taste!

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I dunno, I once got a tube of anchovy paste and I experimented with putting it on a lot of different things - besides pizza, also crackers, bread, pasta, salads (I didn't try drinking it, tho!) so I kinda get it.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Do we know what the difference was, in recipe or production technique?

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Difference between modern fish sauce and Roman fish sauce, or difference between low and high quality garum?

I don't know the methods of making modern fermented fish sauce, but the big difference with garum quality was location/fish. I forget which kind exactly, but there was a particular fish off the coast of modern-day Portugal which was extremely highly valued as an ingredient for expensive garum, whereas cheap garum would often use a lot of small (and different species of) fish mashed in together. "We made this out of whatever we had, except for the best catches; those went to make good garum" sort of thing.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Yes, the latter. Thank you.

Fermented foodstuffs can get really complicated, but then again the nitty-gritty of modern wine and beer making usually dates back no further than the medieval period. So, I guess I shouldn't be to surprised they were mostly interested in ingredients, and something like brand.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Wonder if dudes put a lil bottle of garum in a holster

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Warning: don't try to make it at home. Unless you (and your neighbours) want to discover why the Romans had laws against urban garum production.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Mmmmm, corpse juice!

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

PARTY FACT: The only reason that ancient Egyptian mumys are rare today is that rich people ate most of them.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Mematic brand fish sauce?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Hot take: ketchup is garum.

Apparently some of Europe forgot about garum so hard that they rediscovered fish sauce when colonizing the far east. They tried to make it at home, then switched the base from fish to mushrooms and eventually to tomatoes.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

I think Worcestershire sauce is the closest modern Western equivalent.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I think there is an Italian fish sauce, but I don’t know if it is a direct descendant of garum or not.

Edit: Colatura di alici was invented by medieval monks who found an ancient garum recipe and tried it.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Edit: Colatura di alici was invented by medieval monks who found an ancient garum recipe and tried it.

Common Romaboo W?

this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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