(318 ANCIENT COOKERY. 



It will be noticed that everyone of these included garum. This was the 

 •'universal" sauce of meat cookery. Like the East Indian curry, it went 

 into everything. We have no such universal seasoner, unless it be salt. 

 Catsup and Worcestershire sauce, as used b}^ some individuals, afford some 

 illustration, only that these find their place in the caster, while the garum 

 was usually added by the cook. In a collection of old Roman recipes now 

 before me, of fifteen for preparing chicken, lamb and kid, twelve contain 

 garum. Its character betrays at once the coarseness of the Roman taste 

 and the uncleanness and artificiality of Roman food preparations. Its essen- 

 tial ingredients were salt and decayed fish. They "macerated the intestines 

 of fish in water saturated with salt until putrefaction began to show itself, 

 and then they added parsley and vinegar." "A thick garum was also fre- 

 quently obtained by allowing the entrails and other parts generally thrown 

 away to liquefy in salt." "In the time of Plin3' mackerel was preferred, of 

 Avhich they emploj^ed either the gills or the intestines." 



So if any one wishes to get a tolerable idea of the character of this- famous 

 Roman sauce, let him visit an ancient and deserted barrel of salt mackerel, 

 in which some of the fish have been left to spoil, and secure some of the de- 

 lectable brine. He will probably find it sufficiently revolting to his unac- 

 customed taste, without attempting to manufacture it en regie from the gills 

 and intestines. That the above arc not exceptionally repulsive methods of 

 preparation will appear from further recipes. The following was in very 

 common use: "Amatuus took very small fishes or only their entrails and 

 threw them into a vessel with a large quantity of salt. These were exposed 

 to the sun and long and frequently stirred. When heat had caused ferment- 

 ation and the vessel contained only a kind of pulp or paste, almosl liquid, a 

 kind of willow basket was introduced, into which the garum alone could 

 penetrate." --Although fish was generally used, the flesh of several animals 

 was sometimes employed in the formation of garum." 



Of course, this was too inexpensive to suit the taste for lavish display, 

 and the "apogee of refinement" was secured by using the liver of the red 

 mullet, the expensive fish we quoted above. Others again used the blood 

 of mackerel or of the mullet, and a quart of this garum, on account of its 

 scarcity and the care necessarv for its production, cost from $15 to $20. 

 Oeno-garum was a jDreparation of garum with wine and spices, and oleo- 

 garum with oil and spices; hydro-garum, with water, etc. 



"The principal elements of garum, then, were almost invariably the same 

 — fish, salt, and a greater or less fermentation. No doubt this was detest- 

 able, but then no one ever thought of regaling himself with this liquid. It 

 was never taken alone, but was reserved as a seasoning for a host of dishes 

 in order to heighten their flavor." Apicius, that greatest of authorities 

 among Roman cooks, "places it in almost every sauce, but never serves it 

 by itself, nor does he use it unmixed." It was so strong and foul that it 

 could not be eaten by itself, but to offset that they befouled all other dishes 

 with it. 



