"In common use. . .?" Was: SC - French toast?
Jennifer Rushman
rushmaj at basf-corp.com
Fri Nov 19 07:37:25 PST 1999
In a message dated 11/17/99 7:07:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, troy at asan.com
writes:
<<
> So, Master Adamantius, since you've tasted a liquamen made the old
> Roman way, how different is it from fish sauce? How different from
> liquified anchovy paste? Would a blend of the two in any way
> approximate it, or would that be far too different?
Real garum seems to taste pretty close to anchovy paste, but the color
and texture aren't even close, and the aroma of either is actually
rather mild compared to what you might expect. I guess it would depend
on your use. What I tasted was a clear yellowish-to-amber liquid, with a
body or "mouth feel" like ale; it's as if it had a high enough specific
gravity you could taste it -- it's a bit heavier than the SE Asian fish
sauces I'm familiar with. A slight oiliness, but not much -- I assume
this is natural fish oil. Garum was always thought to be an extremely
healthy food product, provided you're not a tunny or a mackerel... . It
definitely tasted of anchovies, and then so did the nam pla that was
placed alongside it for comparison, but they weren't the same. I think
perhaps the trace of oil was missing from the nam pla. Maybe if one were
to blenderize a can of anchovies in oil in nam pla or another
non-vinegar-based fish sauce, then let the solids settle out, that'd be
a closer approximation. I'm also a bit surprised that some of the
"quick" boiled versions haven't been experimented with more. I think
it's what Flower and Rosenbaum used for their various trials of Roman
recipes. >>
Do you mind if this is included in the Roman Cooking Handbook, I've been
working on?
I think it gives excellent balance to the Asian fish sauce vs anchovy paste
debate. It has definitely caused me to rethink and amend my thoughts on the
subject.
Hauviette
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