Essay On Garum

Garum is a fermented fish sauce most commonly associated with the ancient Mediterranean. It was used in the same way that people living in America today use ketchup, which is to say, they put it on all types of foods and meals. Like ketchup, Garum was not reserved for special meals or a luxury good, but consumed by all social classes. It is most notably associated with ancient Rome but the sauce played a huge role in the economics of the Mediterranean and was a big business for many classes of people during that time. The records of garum include writings as well as material remains such as factories, most famously one preserved in Pompeii, as well as amphoras that have been found to contain traces of garum.
The name garum is believed to have stemmed from a fish the Greeks called garos, though no such fish name occurs in classical Greek [citation]. Garum was not the only fish sauce popular in the Mediterranean. Different recipes were made using different types of fish and had …show more content…
He says that after the fishermen have laid out the catch of fish on the shore they cut up each fish and designate its parts for various uses. The preparation of garum comes first. From the intestines, which retain their juices, flow the intestines which are mixed with salt. Next the preparation of a cheaper sort of fish sauce such as allex: the whole mess is thoroughly mixed together and made into a "commonly used condiment for food." Then a fish sauce such as muria is made by placing various little fish whole in jars. Fish sauces were served as a relish with other foods and the salt flavor of garum added an "exquisite taste to food" (Pliny 31.88). It could be served with hors d 'oeuvres, used as a relish with eggs, oysters, fish, and roast boar. It also could be used to make a tasty dish even tastier: for example, fish would even be served floating in garum as a special treat (Pliny