SC - Re: Apicius site, some thoughts

[ChannonM at aol.com]

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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