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Garum - it's what Romans crave! (infosec.pub)

submitted 7 months ago by PugJesus@lemmy.world to c/roughromanmemes@lemmy.world

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[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

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!

[–] Sergio@slrpnk.net 2 points 7 months 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.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 7 months 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.