[Sca-cooks] A question on Fish Sauce

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Susan Laing wrote:
>
> Hi all-
>
> I'm currently researching some Roman recipes (A friend has joined a new
> local group of Roman Renactors & I'd like to devise a dinner for them)
>
> I've found a number of recipes that call for "Fish Sauce" - would this be
> the Garam (sp?) that I've heard about or is it similar to the Fish Sauces
> available in Asian supermarkets?

The Roman fish sauce is generally referred to in recipes as either garum
or liquamen. It seems to be made most commonly as a result of enzymatic
degradation (the enzymes in the fish entrails break down the fish,
except in variants that call for gutted fish), and secondarily as a
result of lactobaciliic fermentation. Versions I've tasted, made from
recipes in the Geoponica (and quoted by Flower and Rosenbaum in their
edition of Apicius) have been rich, slightly oily, salty, and with
varying degrees of tanginess depending on whether it is the fermented
version or the boiled version. The fact that there _is_ a boiled version
for immediate use suggests to me that it's not supposed to get quite as
tangy as some of the commercial Asian fish sauces, which in some cases
are made with vinegar and anchovy essence.

The best approximation of homemade garum that I have encountered among
the Asian commercial fish sauces is a Philipino variety called patis,
which is made from whole anchovies and salt. It isn't especially sour,
so I assume it is either a boiled sauce, or perhaps simply evidence that
this variety is not particularly fermented, but simply allowed to break
down under heat, pressure, moisture, and enzymes, prevented from
fermenting excessively by the proportion of salt.

It is good in uncooked sauces, but in cooked ones, while it is splendid,
it tends to reek to High Heaven until the heat causes it to lose some
degree of volatility.

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com