If nowadays ketchup, bolognese, tartar, rose... are the most popular sauces, it was not always like that. In this post we are going to deal with the most popular sauce in times of the Roman Empire, garum .
It seems that its origin dates back to the time of the Tartessos – more or less in the southern part of the peninsula – and it was the Romans who popularized it throughout the Empire. According to Carlos Azcoytia its etymological origin is Greek:from garo (for us mackerel).
Garum is a viscous fish sauce that was made by fermenting leftover fish (mackerel, sturgeon, anchovies, tuna, etc.) in the sun and salting it. The Romans fell in love with it – they seasoned vegetables, fish and meat – and they controlled their trade, from the peninsula, throughout the Empire. Two types were obtained in its elaboration:the liquamen , of higher quality and considered the caviar of the time, and the hallec , the garum of the poor.
I can't imagine the fetid smell that this "sauce" would have, although in the words of the poet Marcial:
If you get a whiff of foul breath, ecce, garum est.
But to taste the colors.
Source :History of Spain told for skeptics – Juan Eslava Galán. Photo :Southeast Flowers