this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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Rough Roman Memes
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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!
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.
Do we know what the difference was, in recipe or production technique?
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.
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.