In Latin, garum means sauce. The Romans were big fans of it, at a time when salt was not as widespread as it is today. These are salted and fermented fish offal from which the juice is recovered to make a sauce.
In Asia too, the tradition is that salted fish are pressed and left to ferment in the sun, in large barrels, for a year or more. This is Nuoc-Mām, widely used in Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam.
Garum is experiencing a comeback, perhaps for a question of valuation of fish offal (at the time of the fight against waste), perhaps also because fermentations of all kinds are more and more popular. .
“It was a bit like the ketchup of the Romans, a very popular condiment in ancient Rome.”
Florence Chatelet-Sanchez, founder of the Dehesa houseat franceinfo
In the past, garum was often made from anchovies. It should be used in small doses, to glaze roast fish, or in an olive oil-based sauce. For the occasion, Thierry Marx offers you a recipe for vegetables with garum.
Ingredients for two :
3 carrots, 2 courgettes, 1 aubergine, 1 good head of fresh garlic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of liquid honey, 1 tablespoon of fresh Provencal herbs, 1/4 tablespoon of garum.
Preparation :
Peel the carrots and cut into small strips. Do the same with the zucchini and eggplant. Peel the garlic and crush it into a puree.
In a sauté pan, brown the carrots in olive oil. Then add the zucchini, then the aubergine and the garlic purée. Finally, add the honey. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly.
Leave to stand at temperature, and just before serving, dilute with the garum and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well and let cool.
Enjoy with a tomato salad, to refresh the summer.