What Was Garum, and Why Was It So Important in Ancient Rome?
The Garum in Ancient Rome It wasn't a sauce in the modern sense of the word. It wasn't poured over a dish as a finishing touch. It was a structural ingredient, like salt or oil.
It was produced by fermenting whole fish or their innards under layers of sea salt. The process took months. The result was a thick, amber-colored liquid with an incredibly intense aroma and a salty, umami flavor unlike anything we know today—except, perhaps, for Cetara’s anchovy sauce.
Pliny the Elder describes it in *Naturalis Historia* as one of the most precious liquids in the world, comparable to the finest perfume. An exaggeration? Perhaps. But it says a lot about how much the Romans valued it.
Garum was found throughout the empire. In Pompeii, the remains of garum factories—the officinae—have been discovered, which operated on an industrial scale. It was a commercial product, with different brands, varying qualities, and fluctuating prices. The finest variety, garum sociorum produced in the Cartagena area, cost as much as perfume imported from the East.
The Ancient Recipe for Garum: What the Sources Tell Us
The most detailed description of the production process comes from Gargilio Marziale, a Roman agronomist of the 3rd century A.D., and from a Greek source, the *Geoponica*, which describes this process as follows:
“Take the fish innards and mix them with whole fish, especially mackerel, sardines, or anchovies. Arrange them in layers in a terracotta container, alternating fish and sea salt in a ratio of three parts fish to one part salt. Cover and let it ferment in the sun for two or three months, stirring occasionally. The liquid obtained by filtering is garum.”
The salt-to-fish ratio was crucial. Too little salt, and the fish would rot instead of fermenting. Too much salt, and the process would come to a halt. It was empirical knowledge passed down from generation to generation, just like the art of making bread or cheese.
How Garum Was Produced: Fermentation, Time, and Salt
The production of garum in ancient Rome was a long and meticulous process, which we would today call controlled lactic fermentation.
The fish were carefully selected. Mackerel were among the most commonly used for the highest-quality garum. Anchovies and sardines were used for the lower-quality varieties. The innards, rich in digestive enzymes, accelerated the fermentation process.
Salt served two purposes: as a preservative and as a catalyst. It prevented decay and created the right chemical environment for the fish’s enzymes to ferment.
The terracotta vessel was left out in the sun during the hot months, because the heat sped up the process. In the factories of Pompeii, the containers were as large as bathtubs. The liquid that formed was filtered through wicker baskets and collected in amphorae for distribution.
The final result had three distinct qualities:
- Authentic garum: the finest liquid, filtered multiple times, the most prized
- Liquamen: a term used almost as a synonym in Latin sources, perhaps referring to a slightly lower quality product
- Allec: the solid residue from filtration, used by the poorest as an inexpensive seasoning
The Different Types of Garum in Ancient Rome: From the Most Refined to the Most Inexpensive
There was not just one type of garum in ancient Rome. There was a hierarchy of quality that mirrored the social hierarchy.
Garum sociorum, produced in the Cartagena region of Spain from Iberian mackerel, was the most prized and expensive variety. It was imported to Rome in sealed amphorae, just as one would do today with a fine wine.
Then there was locally produced garum, made from anchovies, sardines, or a mixture of fish. It was less refined but equally common in everyday cooking.
Muria was a less fermented variety, more akin to fish brine. Allec, the byproduct of the production process, ended up on the tables of the poorest people.
This quality scale was very similar to that of olive oil: the same basic product, but with completely different qualities depending on the production method and the type of fish used.
Garum and anchovy sauce: the direct link between ancient Rome and today
The garum from ancient Rome It hasn't disappeared. It has transformed.
The anchovy sauce from Cetara, in Campania, is its most direct descendant. The production process follows the same logic: anchovies, salt, slow fermentation in wooden containers, and filtration of the amber-colored liquid obtained after months of aging.
It is not a historical reconstruction. It is a traditional craft that has been practiced continuously for centuries in that small town on the Amalfi Coast.
Fishermen in Cetara still use it today as a seasoning—a few drops on pasta or vegetables—just as the Romans used garum two thousand years ago.
The difference lies in the fish and the time. Roman garum was made from fatty fish such as mackerel and aged in the summer sun. Colatura di Cetara is made from anchovies and aged in cool environments for months, sometimes years. The result is less intense, more elegant. But the principle is the same: salt, fish, time.
If you want to understand where this culinary logic comes from, read our article on Cato's *Libum*, the first recipe in our series on ancient Rome.
Garum in Modern Roman Cuisine
Garum as such no longer appears on the menus of Roman taverns. But the element that made it indispensable for centuries—umami, the depth of flavor that comes from the fermentation and concentration of fish—is still present in contemporary Roman cuisine.
Anchovy sauce is still used in some traditional dishes. Baccalà alla Trasteverina, with its savory complexity, evokes that same pursuit of intensity that the Romans found in garum.
Even pasta with anchovies—simple and seemingly humble—follows the same logic: just a few ingredients with great intensity that transform a dish.
At theAntica Osteria of Rome, at 258 Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, near Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, that tradition lives on in everyday cooking. Not in garum, which no longer exists, but in a respect for quality ingredients and a commitment to recipes that come from long ago.
Trasteverina-style salt cod (18 euros), oxtail in a tomato-based sauce (18 euros), Grandma’s ragù simmered all night long (14 euros): dishes that don’t contain garum, but capture the same essence as garum. A flavor that develops over time, with patience and carefully selected ingredients.
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