What is garum?
Garum is one of the oldest condiments in the world. A fermented fish sauce, it was for seven centuries the soul of Roman cooking: it was shipped from Cartagena to Pompeii, from the Phoenician trading posts to the imperial tables. Pliny the Elder saw in it ‘that precious liquor’; Apicius, in his treatise on cookery, used it to season almost every one of his recipes.
The technique is fascinating in its simplicity: whole fish or their innards, salt, time. Through the combined action of natural enzymes and heat, the flesh turns into an amber liquid of extraordinary aromatic concentration: umami in its purest state, the fifth taste that Japan was the first to name.
At Maison DEHESA, our garum, made from tuna offal, is crafted in the ancient tradition and matured for many long months. A few drops are enough to give a sauce, a vinaigrette or a broth its signature. A bridge between the table of today and the table of Apicius.
Fallen out of favour for its overly salty notes, this forgotten condiment is making a remarkable return to modern cuisine.
The history of garum
The origins
Garum, or liquamen to the Romans. Before it became a creation of the Maison, garum was the great condiment of the ancient world, a flavour sought from Mesopotamia to Rome, forgotten, then found again. A major condiment of ancient Greece and then of Rome, it has an even older ancestry: in Mesopotamia, siqqu, attested on cuneiform tablets nearly thirty-seven centuries old.
The favour of Rome
Rome adored it and varied it: oenogarum with wine, oxygarum with vinegar, oleogarum with oil, hydrogarum softened with water. In Rome, it was even credited with medicinal virtues. Its disappearance, at the fall of the Empire, left the Mediterranean bereft of a flavour that has been sought ever since.
The haimatum
Our garum draws on a recipe from the Geoponica, compiled in the tenth century by the scholar emperor Constantine VII: garum haimatum, made from the blood and offal of tuna. Its most famous city, Baelo Claudia, today Bolonia in Andalusia, bears witness, under the emperor Claudius, to an intense salting industry. It is on this same coast that the Maison works its tuna today.
Umami before umami
Garum was one of the first condiments of the West to celebrate the fifth taste. Long before it was named umami, Brillat-Savarin had already described the intuition under the name osmazome. Two thousand years of fermentation had sensed it without saying it.
Two states, a single flavour
The liquamen and the allec
Garum names the whole. It is usually known only in its liquid form; true to Antiquity, Maison DEHESA brings its two substrates together in one jar: the liquamen, the liquid part, and the allec, the solid deposit. From their union comes the persistence of a dish, where the liquid alone would bring only power.
The liquamen is clear, light, almost floral. It brings freshness and length on the palate; it binds the whole and keeps it fluid under the spoon. The allec, coral in colour, is born of the fermentation of dried tuna offal. This granular deposit carries the umami, tomato, Parmesan, a hint of tuna confit, and the long finish: the depth of the dish.
At rest, the two settle together at the bottom of the jar; when serving, stir and blend them. Neither goes without the other: the liquid without the allec would lack depth, the allec without it, grace. This deposit bears witness to a living product, with neither additives nor preservatives.
Today
The Maison DEHESA garum
For its recipe, Maison DEHESA chose to draw its inspiration from garum haimatum, which enjoyed a renown without equal in ancient Rome. The Maison DEHESA tuna garum restores this forgotten condiment to its former glory, crafted solely from dried and fermented tuna offal.
The garum of Maison DEHESA seeks the subtle savour of umami rather than a powerful salinity. Its texture is deliberately granular, to bring length on the palate and a unique play of textures. Rich in umami, this garum can replace katsuobushi, a sauce or another condiment.
Maison DEHESA has launched its collection of chefs’ garums: a squid garum by Omar Dhiab, of his eponymous restaurant; a sardine garum by Sébastien Tantôt, of the Auberge La Bonne Idée; and a coffee shoyu garum by Florent Pietravalle, of the restaurant at La Mirande.
How to use garum
Garum can be used as a seasoning to heighten the flavours of sauces, marinades, vinaigrettes or any preparation of fish, meat or vegetables. Its aromatic complexity makes it an ally of choice for elevating the finest dishes.
The tuna garum of Maison DEHESA can stand in for katsuobushi or dried bluefin tuna heart, to lift the saline notes of a dish or underline its fine marine bitterness. Used sparingly, as a condiment or in place of salt, garum is the perfect ally of a creative and timeless cuisine.
Garum in the kitchen
Recipes with garum
Roast vegetables with garum, by chef Thierry Marx
Ingredients for two: 3 carrots, 2 courgettes, 1 aubergine, 1 fine head of fresh garlic, 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp runny honey, 1 tbsp fresh herbes de Provence, 1/4 tbsp garum.
Method
- Peel the carrots and cut them into fine slivers. Do the same with the courgettes and the aubergine. Peel the garlic and crush it to a purée.
- In a sauté pan, brown the carrots in the olive oil. Then add the courgettes, the aubergine and the garlic purée. Lastly, pour in the honey and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Leave to rest at room temperature and, just before serving, loosen with the garum and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix and leave to cool.
- Enjoy with a tomato salad, for a breath of summer freshness.
Further reading: Garum Haimatum by Thierry Marx and our house recipes with garum.