Roman Fish Sauce: Fish Bones Residues and the Practicalities of Supply
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01. ARCH. VOL. 22 (2ª)_ARCHAEOFAUNA 04/09/13 17:33 Página 13 Archaeofauna 22 (2013): 13-28 Roman Fish Sauce: Fish Bones Residues and the Practicalities of Supply SALLY GRAINGER Timberua Glen road. Grayshott Hindhead. Surrey GU266NB, UK [email protected] (Received 2 November 2012; Revised 14 May 2013; Accepted 22 May 2013) ABSTRACT: In this paper I will report on the results of experiments, conducted from 2009 through to 2011, to manufacture Roman fish sauce, using the ancient recipes. More specifical- ly, it will consider the nature of the fish sauce residue, known as allec, observe its formation and assess its qualities. The paper concludes that many shipwrecks currently identified as having transported amphorae that contained a salted fish product made from mackerel may in fact be shipping a semi processed fish sauce which will go on to produce a quality liquamen type sauce at its destination. This paper offers a new interpretation of the archaeological remains found in ancient transport amphorae and provides new insights into the commerce of processed fish products in the Roman Mediterranean. KEYWORDS: GARUM, LIQUAMEN, ALLEC, ROMAN FISH SAUCE, FISH BONE RESIDUES, EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY, ROMAN SHIP WRECKS, AMPHORAE RESUMEN: En este trabajo se exponen los resultados de experimentos realizados entre 2009 y 2011 para manufacturar salsas de pescado romano siguiendo las recetas antiguas. En concreto, se considerará la naturaleza del residuo de salsa de pescado conocido como allec, y se detalla- rán su génesis y sus características. El trabajo concluye que muchos pecios, actualmente rese- ñados como portadores de ánforas que contenían una salazón de caballas, podrían de hecho haber contenido una salsa de pescado a medio procesar que habría servido de base para produ- cir una salsa de calidad tipo liquamen en destino. Este trabajo ofrece por tanto una nueva inter- pretación de los restos arqueológicos de peces recuperados en antiguas ánforas de transporte al tiempo que proporciona nuevas perspectivas en torno al comercio de productos procesados de pescado en el Mediterráneo romano. PALABRAS CLAVE: GARUM, LIQUAMEN, ALLEC, SALSA ROMANA DE PESCADO, RESIDUOS ÓSEOS DE PESCADO, ARQUEOLOGÍA EXPERIMENTAL, PECIOS ROMA- NOS, ÁNFORAS 01. ARCH. VOL. 22 (2ª)_ARCHAEOFAUNA 04/09/13 17:33 Página 14 14 SALLY GRAINGER INTRODUCTION ancient and modern literature pertaining to fish sauce production and use. My backgrounds are ideally suited to this study as I am a trained chef, In this paper I report on the results of experi- have an ancient history degree, a published Roman ments, conducted from 2009 through to 2011, to food historian with a specialty in the Apicius manufacture Roman fish sauce, using the ancient recipe text where fish sauce is a commonplace recipes. More specifically this study examines the ingredient, and I am trained in archaeology, having nature of the fish sauce residue, known as allec, earned a MA in this discipline (Dalby & Grainger, observes its formation and assesses its qualities. 1996; Grainger, 2006; Grocock & Grainger, 2006). Currently, our ability to recognize evidence of fish Thus I was able to integrate all the available evi- sauce through its residues in the archaeological dence for fish sauce, both ancient and modern, in record is limited by a lack of basic empirical order to attempt to answer some of the more per- knowledge of the products themselves. Van Neer plexing questions about this product and how it & Ervynck (2002: 208) consider that fish sauce was traded. can only be identified where «fish bones are pre- sent» which is clearly a limiting factor for fish- bone specialists interested in finding fish sauce in the archaeological record. The fish sauce associat- FISH SAUCE: THE BASICS ed with these residues of bone is perceived to be of lower status, while the fish sauce of quality is understood to be a clear free-flowing liquid and Both ancient and modern fish sauce is a liquid therefore largely invisible in the archaeological derived from the maceration and liquefaction of record (Desse-Berset & Desse, 2000: 75). In whole fish with salt. The process is known as archaeology, we also continue to consider garum enzyme hydrolysis. The enzymes are present in the as a luxury fish sauce, and refer to classical viscera in large quantities, particularly the liver archaeologists such as Curtis who necessarily use and spleen, and it is their action that converts the ancient «elite» perspectives from Rome to define solid protein in the muscle tissue into amino acids the sauces (Corcoran, 1962; Curtis, 1991, 2009). and peptides dissolvable in the water (Mciver et The archaeological evidence for fish sauce, how- al., 1982: 1017; Curtis, 2009: 712). The «sauce» is ever, provides the sub-elite and even lower status effectively the water contained within the fish, perspective as the residues we find are largely enriched with protein, as well as additional brine identified as either the bulk commonplace sauce or which takes on the same characteristics. The pro- the bony fish paste which is considered a slave tein causes the fluid to be stained in various shades ration. It has been difficult to reconcile and inte- of yellow to brown. The sauces are often consid- grate the two worlds, the elite perspectives derived ered fermented, but, strictly speaking, fermenta- from literature and the lower status perspective tion requires bacterial action in relatively low salt from the archaeological record, to form a coherent conditions which are not mentioned in the ancient picture of the ancient trade in fish sauce (Van Neer recipes (Owens & Mendoza, 1985: 273). There are & Ervynck, 2002: 208). This paper offers a close various methods employed by modern South East study of the preparation of various fish sauces Asian manufacturers which we find mirrored in along with their residues in order to offer a new the ancient recipes. The small Clupeidae and interpretation of the archaeological remains found Sparidae commonly used are either, on a small in ancient transport amphorae and to understand scale, contained in sealed vessels, or, on a large more clearly Roman commerce of processed fish scale, covered in concrete-lined tanks, which products1. expose the product to the heat of the sun and some evaporation. Sometimes the fish are compressed in My approach has been multi disciplinary exam- sealed barrels, which allow the fluid to drain from ining and analyzing information from a variety of the bottom of the vessel while the residue remains sources: the archaeological record for processing intact. This compressed residue is then re-brined, sites, the amphorae trade and the fish bone studies often many times to extract all the potential nutri- from ship wrecks and urban deposits, as well as ents before the residue is finally discarded or used for fertilizer, in contrast to ancient fish sauce residues which are used as another food source. 1 My research forms part of a MA dissertation on fish sauce conducted at Reading University. Modern fish sauce is also produced in levels of salt Archaeofauna 22 (2013): 13-28 01. ARCH. VOL. 22 (2ª)_ARCHAEOFAUNA 04/09/13 17:33 Página 15 ROMAN FISH SAUCE: FISH BONES RESIDUES AND THE PRACTICALITIES OF SUPPLY 15 considered excessive, 25-40% by weight. These periods and as such would, in fact, provide a reli- levels of salt, which are acceptable in South East able account of fish sauce manufacture (Dalby, Asia, actually reduce enzyme activity and there- 2011: 13). fore the potential nutritional value of the sauces There are three recipes that survive in the liter- (Crisan & Sands, 1975: 106; Lopetcharat, 2001: ature: two in the Geoponica, and one attributed to 65-68). Gargilius Martialis, a 3rd century AD Latin writer. Ancient recipes for fish sauce survive in late This text, however, is considered a medieval gloss Imperial Greek and Latin texts, though they are and is not included in the recent Les belle Lettres considered problematic for many reasons. The key series. It is also clear that a number of ingredients text, the manuscript of the Geoponica is from listed in the recipe were unavailable in Roman Greek-speaking Byzantium and has been consid- times, and, as a result, it is far less reliable in illus- ered too far removed in time from the manufacture trating classical Roman practices (Curtis, 1984: of fish sauce envisioned in the western Mediter- 148; Maire, 2002). The texts are sited in full in the ranean of the 1st century AD to be considered accu- appendix. rate (Comis & Re, 2009: 35). It is rarely suffi- The recipes suggest that two basic types of ciently acknowledged, however, that fish sauces sauce existed, though many different species of were Greek in origin in terms of the textual evi- fish and different methods were used. dence, and their origins geographically were 1. A mixture of small whole fish of the Clupei- obscure2. The cuisine we think of as Roman was dae and Sparidae families considered small originally devised and initially recorded in Greek enough with the addition of extra viscera texts during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. It subse- from other fish and salt added, allowing the quently spread and became an international Mediterranean cuisine rather than simply mixture to liquefy in the sun until pickled. «Roman». Nevertheless, there remained key dif- Liquid is then taken when the sauce flows ferences between the two culinary cultures, while, through a basket and can be ladled out (Geo- ponica). This is a liquamen in Latin and at the same time, a complex linguistic culinary 4 crossover developed3. In fact, it is recognized in garon in Greek . classical studies that the knowledge associated 2. A mixture of somewhat larger fish, dominat- with all practical preparations was predominantly ed by Scombridae as well as Clupeidae and of Greek origin and found in veterinary, medicinal Sparidae.