It is possible that the word sounds familiar to you. Or even that you have tried it somewhere. What is certain is that the garum is one of sauces with more history than, well, history. Today we are talking about the importance of this sauce and what it is so that you can level up your parties, or so that you can order it without fear at the next restaurant you go to. We tell you!
The story of the garum
Its name sounds interesting and its preparation is even more curious. The garum is made from whole fish or their viscera. To these you add a good amount of salt and, basically, those are all the ingredients. Then you just have to leave ferment the mixture for several months and that's it. The result is a fish sauce that is over 2000 years old and still has fans in different parts of the world.
El garum of ancient times was very similar to the fish sauces used in cooking. Asian cuisine today, but it is also a condiment widely used by haute cuisine chefs. It's about a expensive product and slow and complex preparation, which is why it is considered a true delicacy for the most select palates.
But there is also a more commercial version of the product. There are several establishments that have created substitutes which, despite being more similar to the traditional Italian anchovy sauce than to the garum, share the same philosophy about its marine flavor and its Mediterranean origin.
Make garum at home
Before you start, you should know that this is not a recipe simple. We already anticipated it before, but now we make it clear. Preparing authentic garum takes time, practice and patience. In addition, you should know that it is very likely that you will not get a flavor equal to the traditional recipe. However, we can do something slightly similar using a mixer and simple materials.
The first thing is the ingredients. We will need anchovies of good quality to have the main base of the sauce. It is necessary to use the oil from the can, so remember not to throw it away. We will also need some black olives boneless, a little it, aromatic herbs, such as romero and oregano, and oil.
All this is put together in a container and thoroughly beaten with the blender. If we want the result to fit more liquid, we can dilute it a little with water while we give it a second pass. If, on the other hand, we want the sauce to remain a little less salty, we can substitute the anchovies for sardines Canned. So we will have our little imitation of this historic sauce ready.
And how does this sauce come about?
We already know how to make this accompaniment at home, but how does it come about? and where? Well, contrary to popular belief, this sauce does not originate in Rome. Although it was the Romans who popularized it, they were the Greeks, around the year 600 before Christ, who created it. There is even data that it was used in the Byzantine Empire.
The traditional recipe was considerably more difficult to make than its homemade counterpart. The main element was fish guts. And the abundant salt that was incorporated into the concoction served to prevent the emergence of bacteria due to spoilage of food. After allowing the mixture to ferment for at least six months in the sun, a liquid was extracted, which would be used as a sauce.
Experts believe that this sauce was used in Aderezo at any meal. It was even evaporated to create a sauce with thicker properties and with the resulting crystals of process. This was known as died, and it is one more way to take advantage of the garum. Over the years we have ended up calling all the fish sauces that come from ancient Rome that way.
How about? Did you know how this curious recipe was made? To us, of course, it has seemed like a very tasty way to travel to another era.
