What is Garum?

Garum is a type of spice that was used to taste food at the time of ancient Romans. Often it was made of fish that were left for fermentation and combined with various herbs and lots of salt. The root enjoyed both rich and lower class in ancient Rome and was used to family amounts of food, either in recipes or at the table. He often mixed with wine or vinegar and was used as a bandage.

The Romans got an idea for Garum from ancient Greeks who used the sauce already in the fifth century BC. His name comes from the Greek word for a particular kind of fish, garos . Later, in the first century BC, Garum was made in parts of Spain, including Barcelona and New Carthage. At that time, Spain had a large industry of fish salting and was famous for its Garum.

Mackerel is usually preferred fish for spices and produced the most expensive Garum. Less costly spices can be made of tuna. The tuna sauce was referred to as Muria. The leastThe Adna version of Garum was made of any greasy fish that one could get into the hands and was often referred to as Likvamen.

Pliny, older, Roman historian, preferred a sauce made of mackerel and gave him his name: Pliny Garum. The sauce was made by taking blood from freshly caught mackerel and mixing with the gut of fish and other usually unnecessary parts of fish. This mixture was then solena and left to sit in the sun for several weeks or months during which it would be fermented.

During fermentation, the fish would disintegrate, resulting in brownish liquid. At the end of the fermentation period, the solid parts of the fish would be separated from the liquid. The remaining fish solids that were known as Allec were often used in themselves as a paste for flavored dishes.

Roman's taste for Garum died around the 16th century. In the Roman cuisine, a new type of fish paste made fromAnchovies that have been cured by salt. The more relieved version of the sauce can be made at home by reducing a liter of grape juice and then mixing a little anchovice paste into it. Another modern descendant of ancient sauce is the worcestershire sauce, which more often than not, contains an anchovice paste.