[Sca-cooks] Geoponica garum recipe was Re: Garum and cheesecak
Terry Decker
t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Wed Aug 29 05:52:25 PDT 2007
Geoponica is a 10th Century Greek agricultural manual which may derive from
a 6th Century Latin text.
A translation of Geoponica 20.46:1-6 can be found in Curtis, Robert I.,
Garum and Salsamenta; E.J. Brill, 1991, pg 12-13. To quote the text:
"1. The so-called liquamen is made in this manner: the intestines of fish
are thrown into a vessel and salted. Small fish, either the best smelt, or
small mullets, or sprats, or wolffish, or whatever is deemed to be small,
are all salted together and, shaken frequently, are fermented in the sun.
2. After it has been reduced in the heat, garum is obtained from it in this
way: a large,strong basket is placed into the vessel of the aforementioned
fish, and the garum streams into the basket. In this way, the so-called
liquamen is strained through the basket when it is taken up. The remaining
refuse is alex.
3. The Bythinians prepare it in this manner: it is best if you take small
or large sprats, but if not, wolffish, or horse-mackeral, or mackeral, or
even alica, and a mixture of all, and throw these into a baker's kneading
trough, in which they are accustomed to knead meal. Tossing into the modius
of fish two Italian sextarii of salt, mix up thoroughly in order to
strengthen it with salt. After leaving it alone for one night throw it into
a vessel and palce it without a lid in the sun for two or three months,
agitating it with a shaft at intervals. Next take it, cover it, and store it
away.
4. Some add to one sextarius of fish, two sextarii of old wine.
5. Next, if you wish to use the garum immediately, that is to say not
ferment it in the sun, but to boil it, you do it this way. When the brine
has been tested, so that an egg having been thrown in floats (if it sinks,
it is not sufficiently salty), and throwing the fish into the brine in a
newly-made earthenware pot and adding in some oregano, you place it on a
sufficient fire until it is boiled, that is until it begins to reduce a
little. Some throw in boiled down must. Next, throwing the cooled liquid
into a filter you toss it a second and third time through the filter until
it turns out clear. After having covered it, store it away.
6. The best garum, the so-called haimation, is made in this way: the
intestines of tunny along with the gills, juice and blood are taken and
sufficient salt is sprinkled on. After having left it alone in the vessel
for two month at most, pierce the vessel and the garum, called haimation, is
withdrawn."
Three other texts (which I don't have available) describe the process of
preparing garum; (Marcus?) Manilius's Astronomica and texts attributed to
Gargilius Martialis and Rufus Festus. Curtis warns that Martialis may
contain medieval intrusions and that the recipe attributed to Festus is
obviously of medieval date.
Bear
> What is this "Geoponica"? Do you have a copy of this historical garum
> recipe?
>
> Stefan
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