GARUM, ANCHOVY ESSENCE

Have you ever heard of garum? Do you know this natural flavour enhancer? Well, you will be surprised to know that it was one of the most appreciated and widespread food products in Ancient Rome. At MAISOR we wanted to recover the famous fish sauce created more than 2,000 years ago and give you the opportunity to enjoy a new experience.

Darió Bernal Casasola, professor of archaeology at the University of Cadiz, said in an interview that “garum was something like oil, it was in every house and was consumed almost every day.” Apparently, the sauce was made from different fish and there were different qualities, which made it an accessible product for all social classes.

More than ten years ago, a team led by Professor Bernal began a research project in Pompeii and Herculaneum (Italy). There they studied the only garum factory in the entire Vesuvian area. A series of amphorae were found and certain types of sauces consumed in Ancient Rome were identified.

From there, they began to investigate the same thing in other places: “Baelo Claudia is in Cadiz, in the Bolonia bay, in Tarifa,” explained Bernal. Pools for the production of garum have also been found in the town of El Alamillo (Mazarrón-Murcia).

Cetaria

In Latin, the fish preserve industry was called cetaria. Thus, this sauce was made in cetarias, based on the fermentation of different species of fish. In Gethary (France), a series of Roman pools were found in 1984 that were used for salting fish and making garum. The professor from the University of the Basque Country, Joaquín Gorrochategui, states that for this very reason our town is called Getaria (Gipuzkoa).

As for the process of making garum, in an article in National Geographic Pedro Huertas points out “that sometimes it was made outside the cities, that brine was used and that the mixture was left in the sun for a few weeks.”

As it could not be otherwise, we have used the gold of the Cantabrian Sea – that’s right, the anchovy! – to make garum. We get this sauce from the fermentation of Cantabrian anchovies in salt.

Umami flavour

According to Bernal, garum has great organoleptic properties and an umami flavour. Umami? Yes, umami is known as the fifth flavour. Humans are capable of recognising five flavours: bitter, salty, acidic or sour, sweet and umami. Of all of them, the last one is the most difficult to define. Furthermore, compared to the other flavours, its knowledge is relatively recent. Foods rich in umami, beyond their own flavour, manage to enhance the individual flavour of the other ingredients used.

In an article on the blog Directo al Paladar, they explain that the fifth flavour has been discovered in many foods; such as, for example, cheese, anchovies, ripe tomatoes, dried tomatoes, soy sauce or cured ham.

Use

As we have already mentioned, it is a natural flavour enhancer. Garum is still unknown to many, but in haute cuisine it is a highly valued product. It can be used as a condiment for fish, salads, meats, soups, legumes… However, be careful with the quantities! It must be used in the right measure so as not to alter the flavours too much.

Try our anchovy essence and give your dishes a special touch! You can get it in our shop in the port of Getaria or in the online shop.