Garum, also called liquamen, is a type of fish sauce condiment popular in Ancient Roman
society.
Factory of Garum at Baelo Claudia
Although it enjoyed its greatest popularity in the Roman world, it originally came from the
Greek, gaining its name from the Greek words garos or garon, which named the fish whose
intestines were originally used in the condiment's production. For Romans, it was both a staple to
the common diet and a luxury for the wealthy. Garum appears in most of the recipes featured in
Apicius, a famous Roman cookbook. The sauce, a cousin of Vietnamese nuoc mam was
generally made through the crushing and fermentation in brine of the innards of various fish such
as tuna, eel, and others. While the finished product was apparently mild and subtle in flavor,
even when compared to modern Thai fish sauce, the actual production of garum created such
unpleasant smells as to become relegated to the outskirts of cities so that the neighbors would not
be offended by the odor.
Garum, also referred to as liquamen by ancient Romans, was a sauce which, mixed with wine,
vinegar, pepper, oil, or water, was served as a condiment or accompaniment for flavor
enhancement with a wide variety of dishes, including pear and honey souffle, boiled veal, and
steamed mussels. Although this was its main use, it also was employed as a medicine or for
cosmetics. Ancient Romans considered it to be one of the best cures available for many ailments,
including dog bites, dysentery, and ulcers.
Umbricius Scaurus put the ancient city of Pompeii on the map by his production of this product.
The factories where garum was produced in Pompeii have not been found yet which has led
many researchers to believe that the factories lay outside the walls of the city.
Today one can still see a garum factory at the site of Baelo Claudia, in Spain. This Spanish
garum was a famous export to Rome, and gained the town a certain amount of prestige in its day.
The garum of Lusitania (present-day Portugal) was equally highly prized in Rome. It was
shipped to Rome directly from the harbour of Lacobriga (present-day Lagos).
Garum is frequently maligned as being bad smelling or rotten. For example, it has been
described as an "evil-smelling fish sauce" made of fish ranging from tuna, mackerel, and moray
eel to anchovies (Introduction to Paul Wilkinson, Pompeii: The Last Day, London BBC
Productions 2003). This attitude derives in part from ancient authors who satirized the
condiment, but mostly from the fact that fish sauce was generally unknown in the Western world
until very recently. The truth is quite different, and in fact garum only smelled when it was being
made. Once the process was complete it produced a pleasant aroma for as long as it was
usable.[1]
In English it was formerly translated as fishpickle. The original Worcestershire sauce was a
similar product, brought to England from India. Some have suggested anchovy paste as the
modern descendant of garum, but it is not fermented.
The above information was gathered from Wikipedia but the main points were verified using
Apicius, and Joseph Dommers Vehling. Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome: A Bibliography,
Critical Review, and Translation of the Ancient Book Known as Apicius De Re Coquinaria. New
York: Dover, 1977 (reprint from 1936 edition).