A pungent fermented fish sauce used extensively in ancient Roman cooking and seasoning, similar to modern Asian fish sauces.
From Latin garum, possibly derived from Greek garon. The Romans imported it from Phoenician and Greek producers. The sauce was made by fermenting fish with salt and was ubiquitous in Roman cuisine, appearing in most recipes.
Romans put garum on basically everything—it was their version of ketchup, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce combined. Archaeologists can tell how wealthy a Roman was by how much garum residue they left in their amphoras.
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