Garum

"Terry!  Terry!  Listen to this!

This is so cool!"
I look up from my Mac in excitement.

"Do you know that you can participate in an archeological study
for a week in Pompeii this summer?
There's this study called The Pompeii Food and Drink Project
and you can help investigate
what life was like in Pompeii and in the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago!
They're looking at things that are associated with,"
I start reading,
"'the storage, distribution, preparation, serving, and consumption of food and drink.'"

Villa of the Mysteries Kitchen and Oven

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Villa_of_the_mysteries_kitchen_and_oven.jpg

"I just want to eat and participate in orgies,"
says he, not looking up from his iPad.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I," says he.  "That's the Roman way, isn't it?"

Terry has been patiently putting up with all things Pompeiian since we went to see the
A day in Pompeii exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science earlier this week.
I expected to see dramatic reconstructions of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD
and haunting plaster casts of its victims;
but I did not expect to learn so much about what Pompeiians ate and how they ate.
Did you know they had lots of fast food joints in ancient Pompeii?

But I digress.
I'm exploring a fascinating new word I learned at the exhibit:  garum.
It doesn't look like much, but the story behind it is something else!
I have a lot of fisherman in my family tree,
so perhaps that is why I felt so connected to
garum.

Exhibit Fish

These fish look so pretty painted on the wall of the DMNS exhibit,

and then you find out what Pompeiians did to the fish to produce garum!

Pompeii was known throughout the ancient Roman empire 

for producing and selling excellent garum,

a popular, spicy fish sauce or paste used as a condiment.

I was amazed to see 2,000 year old carbonized garum paste in the exhibit!

 

Garum:  Carbonized Fish Paste

Carbonization is a process by which organic material is preserved as a carbon film.  

It takes place when organic material is buried in an anoxic environment where there is no oxygen.

Anaerobic bacteria consume the hydrogen and oxygen in the organic material, 

leaving concentrated carbon behind.  

The carbon films are usually black, light brown, or dark brown in color.

The burying of Pompeii by the eruption of Vesuvius 

created the conditions necessary to preserve garum and other foodstuffs.

Amazing!   

Garum was essential to Roman cuisine, 

because it enhanced the flavor of bland food with a pungent, salty flavor.

Pompeiians made it in their kitchens for home consumption, 

and produced it in factories by manufacturers 

such as Aulus Umbricius Scaurus,

Pompeii's most famous garum producer.

Mosaic of a Garum Jar from the House of Aulus Umbricius Scaurus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Garum_Mosaik_Pompeji.JPG

Garum, discovered at the bottom of seven jars at the house of Aulus Umbricius Scaurus,

has been used to confirm the date of the eruption of Vesuvius,

most likely August 24, 79.

This is the date reported by Pliny the Younger, a Roman historian,
who reported his detailed observations of the eruption
in two letters to Tacitus, another Roman historian, twenty-five years later.
The letters included an account of the death of Pliny the Elder
who tried to escape by boat from shore but died of suffocation instead.
Pliny the Younger's observations were so detailed
that volcanologists now describe Vesuvius-like eruptions
as Plinian eruptions.

  Eruption of Vesuvius, Painting by I.C. Dahl (1826)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dahl-Vesuvius.png

So how did Pompeiians produce the garum prized throughout the early Roman Empire?

Gurry, a good Nova Scotian term,
or fish guts,
was macerated in salt
and left to cure in the sun for one to three months.
Yum!

This fragrant concoction fermented and liquified in the dry climate of Pompeii,
with the salt inhibiting the rotting of the entrails.
Oh good!

Garum,
a clear liquid that rose to the top of the container,
like cream rising to the top of milk,
was collected and strained for use.
The liquid garum could be combined with various aromatic herbs
to add flavors that differed by locale.
Oh double yum!

Italian Herb Garden

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parco_di_Castello,_orto_segreto_3.JPG

Garum, a nutritious condiment,
was rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins, and B minerals.
It also contained a lot of glutamic acid
and was used somewhat like monosodium glutamate is used today.
Garum had a natural umami flavor!

All those years I taught third graders there were four basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty!
Suddenly we have a fifth: umami!
And it's been around for thousands of years!

Umami has a
"... a mild but lasting aftertaste difficult to describe.
It induces salivation and a sensation of furriness on the tongue,
stimulating the throat, the roof and the back of the mouth." (Wikipedia)

Yummier and yummier, especially the furriness part!
(Perhaps Vitamin Cottage should carry this!)

    DMNS Exhibit

    Advertising was alive and well in ancient Pompeii!

 
Jug or Urceus


Pompeii's garum factories have not been found.
They most likely lay beyond the walls of the Pompeii
where the stink of garum production would not bother the citizens of the city.
The DMNS exhibit says that the garum was mass produced in large vats along the Sarno River,
but I have not been able to verify this with another source.

Here is a modern recipe for garum
from the Pompeii Food and Drink website:
________________________________________________________________________________

JOSEP MERCADER’S “GARUM”

560 g black olives, stoned
16 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 1 hour and patted dry
1 hard-boiled egg yolk
90 g capers
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon white pepper
60 ml olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in blender or food processor until light and fluffy. Puree the mixture in a food mill or push it through a sieve with a wooden spoon. Return to the blender or food processor and process briefly to obtain a smooth paste.

Note: Do not substitute fresh herbs with dry as they will not puree properly, either omit, experiment with other fresh herbs, or increase the amounts of parsley.
________________________________________________________________________________


I can't say I've tried it,
but have at it, if you wish!

Now how to get to Pompeii this summer to work on the Pompeii Food and Drink Project?
Maybe I can work a bacchanalian angle!

Painting of a Roman Orgy

Horace and Lydia byThomas Couture (after 1843)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Couture_-_Horace_and_Lydia_-_Walters_3723.jpg