On Food and Cooking

liquid except perfume has become more
highly valued”; the best, from mackerel
only, came from Roman outposts in Spain.
Garum was made by salting the fish
innards, letting the mixture ferment in the
sun for several months until the flesh had
mostly fallen apart, and then straining the
brown liquid. It was used as an ingredient
in cooked dishes and as a sauce at the
table, sometimes mixed with wine or
vinegar (oenogarum, oxygarum). Some
form of garum is called for in nearly every
savory recipe in the late Roman recipe
collection attributed to Apicius.
Preparations like garum persisted in the
Mediterranean through the 16th century,
then died out as the modern-day, solid
version of garum rose to prominence: salt-
cured but innard-free anchovies.
Preliminary Salting and Drying Nowadays,
fish destined for the smoker are generally
soaked in a strong brine for a few hours to