Garum: Roman fish sauce and modern substitutes

What was garum?

Garum was a fish-based fermented condiment, traded in pottery containers and used as a seasoning. Related terms, including liquamen, appear in recipe texts, but their precise relationship is not identical in every period or source. A translation that says broth may sometimes conceal a more specialised ancient sauce term.

Bottles, bones and trade

A bottle in the British Museum was made for transporting or storing fish sauce and belongs to the first or second century AD. Labels on containers can identify products and producers. In London, masses of small herring and sprat bones have been interpreted as possible sauce manufacture or fish pickling: the museum retains both explanations.

Use it as a seasoning

For our practical recipes, buy a commercially prepared fish sauce and start with a small amount. It contributes salt and savoury depth; it is not poured as a main dish. A pinch of salt can replace it for a different, simpler result. Note that substitution rather than claiming an identical flavour.

Study production without reproducing it

Ancient descriptions are evidence for food technology, not a complete modern food-safety procedure. This guide does not ask you to ferment fish at home. Instead, compare a container inscription with an ingredient list and trace how a product could travel from producer to consumer.