Ancient Rome's Favorite Condiment
.....about Garum, plus a recipe using it, a cookbook explaining it...
I was watching one of my favorite Youtube creator’s channel, Tasting History with Max Miller, talk about dead fish sauce.
He explained that in ancient Rome, this was a highly prized condiment. Being a crazed condiment lover I had to hear more about this fermented liquid the Roman’s coaxed from leaving dead fish covered in salt and seawater out in the sun for two months that they called garum.
Click this link if you would like to watch his fascinating video that goes into the history of Garum and includes a recipe to make a quick version of this ancient recipe at home. PS: you should subscribe to his channel, it is awesome if you love the history of food and he is super entertaining and smart. In fact, I would go further and say that I wish food shows on regular TV were more like this. Is anyone listening?
After watching Max’s video, I wondered, was Garum like Asian fish sauce? Probably. Worcestershire? Did it smell? It is fermented, so it must be good for your gut? I am a mermaid at heart, so anything that might taste of the sea is alluring to me.
So I tried it. And I really like it. Small drops on everything from spaghetti with clams to scrambled eggs were magic, but don’t use too much.
If you don’t want to make your own using Max’s recipe above, you can buy it online.
Its origin? In the ruins of Pompeii they found a recipe that used salted small fish, fennel, coriander and dill which was fermented for one week. That recipe eventually found its way to producers in Spain who now make what they call Flor de Garum which you can order online and receive in beautiful glass bottles.
You can also buy versions of Garum that are made all over the world, most of them created from anchovies. Notably, Matiz makes a Flor de Garum, made with anchovies, salt, oregano and other spices. And from Italy you can find online a popular Garum Colatura Anchovy Sauce, one of which is Colatura di Alici from Campania.
or Colatura de Alici from Rizzoli.
How can you use it? Here’s a super easy and delicious recipe:
Recipe:
Pasta with Colatura di Alici from SeriousEats.com
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound dried spaghetti (I use capellini or angel hair)
3 tablespoons Colatura di Alici (plus a small splash at the end)
1 garlic clove, minced (I use 2)
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Directions:
In a small skillet, combine breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until toasted and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer breadcrumbs to a small bowl, and season lightly with salt. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven or medium pot, bring 3 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti to water and cook, stirring frequently during the first minute to prevent pasta from sticking. Cook pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, combine colatura, garlic, and pepper flakes. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil, followed by 2 tablespoons (30ml) pasta water, to form an emulsion.
Transfer pasta to bowl along with another 1/2 cup (120ml) pasta water and parsley. Vigorously toss and stir pasta to emulsify sauce and coat with noodles. Add breadcrumbs and toss to combine. Pasta should be well-coated with creamy, emulsified sauce. If it seems dry, add extra pasta water, 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Add lemon zest and taste pasta for seasoning, adding a final splash of colatura if needed. Serve immediately.
Good Reads, Good News:
Culinary Detectives Try to Recover Formula for a Deliciously Fishy Roman Condiment
Elizabeth Minchilli’s Discussion about Garum and her Recipe Using It
John Mariani’s Review of Orienta Restaurant in Greenwich and Casa Tulum Restauruant in NYC
In the Hamptons Soon:
If you are like me and love mystery and crime novels, come join us at the first Hamptons WhoDunIt Festival April 13-16, 2023 with amazing authors and a Hamptons Crime Scene Bus tour, book signings, cocktail party, and more. See you there!
My Condiment Love:
Pistachio Paste: Move over Nutella, this pistachio paste is my new love. Made ONLY with pistachios, olive oil, sugar and salt, it has won my heart. I smear it on toast. I hide a spoonful of it inside pistachio cupcakes. I love pistachios anything. I mix it in my almond flour cookies. There are a lot of brands available but this one has so far stayed with me. Others have added milk powder and other ingredients that give them a smoother thinner spreading consistency, so try a few and see which one you prefer!
Cookbook review:
The Story of Garum by Sally Grainger
If you are a student of archaeology or ancient history or the history of food, this is a fascinating and deeply detailed read about the evolution of fermented fish sauce, specifically about garum, by an expert food historian.
Garum: Recipes From The Past by Ursula Janssen
Also by an archaeologist and food historian, this cookbook is absolutely gorgeous. The photos are half the reason to buy the book. Then there is the story of how ancient sites are excavated and recipes are found. This is a meat-forward cookbook, so vegetarians might not use the recipes as much as reading the book to delve into the history of food.
If you are looking for a gift for a food lover, why not pair this book of recipes with a bottle of one of the garums above?
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