Gargilius Martialis's Garum
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ITEMS Th e archaeology of taste: Gargilius Martialis’s Garum In this article, after a brief preliminary experiment will be il- description of garum and lustrated. In the conclusions prob- its history, a preliminary lems, variables and further experi- experiment based on Martialis’ ments will be analysed. recipe provides a taste of past. Q Lara COMIS 1. Garum in the Roman Corrado RE world: archaeology (IT) of production De gustibus non disputandum In his Liber de Agricultura Cato (between the 3rd and 2nd century Cicero BC) refers to allec, which seemed to have been a paste obtained by Introduction the working of fi sh, herbs and salt. Th e etymology of such a term ap- When Rome came into con- pears to fi nd its roots in the word tact with the Greek world, a great putrescence (Dosi, Schnell 1984: Q Fig. 15 The final result of the experiment: a granular, amount of information, culture, 181). Interestingly, he refers to it olive green in colour compound with a strong fragrance technology and grandeur entered when describing food needed by of spices and fish. The amount of extracted liquid was the then rural roman way of living. the family who run a rural farm minimal. It is in fact from the second half of once the olives run out (Cato, LVI- the III century BC that Greek infl u- II). Because of the amount of nu- ence in many aspects of life was ac- tritive substances (such as amino ed (see Purpura 1982). Th ese in- knowledged by the ancient authors. acids, nitrogen, and many diff erent dustries consisted of a series of coc- Among these, we fi nd infl uences trace elements), garum and allec ciopesto (lime mortar with crushed on cuisine and cooking. Garon, as were quite important in the main- pottery) covered vats (called cetar- it was known among the Greeks, ly vegetarian diet of ancient Rome ia) in which the fi sh was worked was a culinary preparation made (Hubert 2001). and, probably, entrails, salt and mainly of fi sh, salt and herbs and herbs were left in the sun for trans- was in use in Greek cuisine from Garum was a liquid or semi liquid formation into garum. Usually, am- at least the 5th century BC (Pliny, sauce obtained by the decomposi- phorae sherds found nearby the vats NH XXXI, 93). Th e production and tion of fi sh and herbs in salt. Ac- help to give an idea of the duration trading of garum lasted for at least cording to Pliny, it was at fi rst ob- of the production. Th e most famous one millennium: its taste could be tained from one selected kind of garum was made only with macker- called a golden thread of the An- fi sh which might be compared to el and was produced in Spain (Pliny cient World. anchovies. Common garum, on the NH XXXI, 94) and sold all over contrary, was created by the decom- the empire in Dressel 7-9 ampho- But what was it like? And, more im- position of fi sh entrails in salt. Its rae (Purpura 1982). Th e north Af- portantly, what was it that made it exotic taste entered fi rmly into the rican coast was rich in this sort of taste like itself? It is to answer these roman world in the time of Apicius industry which produced a typical questions that this project came to and was considered a fundamen- amphora to contain the sauce. Th e life. In this article we will illustrate tal ingredient to many recipes. Th e African amphorae sherds for garum the fi rst steps taken for searching the liquid garum (another term used to trade can be found across the em- answers. Th e analysis needs to be indicate it is liquamen) was so pop- pire from Severian times and a sign carried on deeper and wider, many ular that it was also added to fruit of change in the market trends of written sources have to be read jams (Dosi, Schnell 1984: 210). that time (Purpura 1982). (and found!), many archaeological fi nds are there to be researched: we Many archaeological remains wit- Th is mode of production is not so are perfectly aware of the fact that ness the importance of the product. common on the Tyrrhenian coast this is just a beginner’s log. Th e Atlantic coast of Spain and Mo- of Italy. Scholars believe the reason rocco, as well as the Mediterranean for this can be found in the garum A brief history of garum produc- coasts and the Black Sea were sites offi cina (garum’s factory) found in tion, fortune and trade will be given of production of garum. Th e centres Pompeii. Even though Pliny ac- in the fi rst part. In the second part of industry in the transformation of knowledges Pompeii as a famous methodology and specifi c infor- fi sh, in which tuna and other fi sh site for the production of garum mation from written sources will was cleaned and salted, were also (NH XXXI, 95), the witnessed pro- be discussed and in the third the the sites in which salt was extract- cedure diff ers slightly from the 6/2009 euroREA 33 ITEMS The archaeology of taste others. Here the mixed ingredients agement for the task. Even so, af- were left to ferment in dolia, not in ter having eviscerated the problem vats, but were sold in amphorae as in many ways, we decided that ex- the other garum (Salza Prina Ricot- perimental methodology could be ti 1999). a great help in such an attempt. Th e preliminary experiment on garum An interesting note of the edictum production was therefore planned de pretiis by Diocletian (301 AD) to assess the variables and their states two diff erent prices for the consequent relationship. An or- fi rst liquamen and the second liq- ganoleptic evaluation of the fi nal uamen (III, 7), probably refl ecting a product was programmed to have diff erence in quality. a standardised description of the taste, useful to provide a compari- Th e production of garum was car- son for further experiments. ried on until the 5th century AD Q Fig. 1 Brushing the vase with pine tar in Morocco, and the consuming of As the starting point should be the garum is witnessed into the early archaeological record but we did medieval times and later (8th cen- not fi nd any convincing sources tury AD, Salza Prina Ricotti 1999, and studies made on the subject. Purpura 1982 footnote 10; Ency- In popular books the stereotypes clopaedia Romana under “Garum” of garum being a putrescent and states that there is trace of produc- morbid thing were not sustained tion of garum as late as 1345 AD). by experiment on actually mak- ing or tasting it according to the It seems therefore that produc- ancient procedure (Dosi, Schnell tion of garum was strictly linked 1984: 28, 246). On the contrary, in with the industry of fish transfor- the same source, the experimental mation: it actually used the same approach in the creation of garum facilities. But this is not the only was gladly encouraged, as the im- production witnessed as another portance of that ingredient was Q Fig. 2 Hardening the tar with a gas flame method used dolia to obtain the evident both by written and mate- same product. rial sources (ibidem: 254). Th e in- formation about taste was limited to a link to nuoc-mâm, an oriental 2. Exploring garum’s preparation still in use. Th e origin taste: methodological of it were referred to as an error approach, written made in the conservation of fi sh, ending in some sort of not-too- sources, ethnography bad waste (ibidem: 210). Th e curiosity about the taste of such a famous and renown ingredi- Even the ancient world seems to be ent lead us to approach garum from split into those who liked garum the experimental perspective. Th e and those who did not. Martial re- fi rst aim of our experiment was to fers to garum made only with the be able to evaluate variables which blood of freshly killed mackerel as may aff ect garum’s taste. To attempt a sumptuous gift (Xen. XIII, 102), Q Fig. 3 A subtle olive oil layer to ensure impermeability a reconstruction of a “taste” might but points out also that common be considered as rather an impossi- garum had a terrible smell. Apicius, ble mission. Experimental archae- on the other hand, gives a recipe to ology has already demonstrated in change the smell of garum with the the past decades how an “accurate” aid of herbs and honey (Apicius De reconstruction is not only impos- Re Coquinaria, I, 6). Th e fi rst liq- sible to obtain, but also does not uid was called gari fl os (fl ower of necessarily improve our knowledge garum). Th e most appreciated was of the past. We can imagine, there- called garum nigrum and was sold fore, how subtle the results could in small jars. Th e banqueters could be when the object of the experi- use it as they pleased directly on ment is not an object but a taste, the table (Dosi, Schnell 1984: 212). which certainly lacks both materi- As we said, allec was the remaining ality and assessment measurements paste aft er all the liquid has been which can aid the evaluation. Th is extracted, but some scholars say theme has entered many times into that originally allec was garum at the discussion of those who par- the midfermentation point.