Explanation: Not just a military food! Roman garum was fish sauce left to ferment, and was a condiment they put on everything. Bread, meat, other fish, salad, porridge, wine, fruit, everything. It was considered such an essential foodstuff that, like bread and wine, it was provided to slaves. There were varieties that were cheap as could be, like wine, and like wine, there were varieties that would cost a year’s wages for a common laborer just to get a single container of.
Since it wasn’t, y’know, boiled or anything, just left to ferment, it was a great way to get fish parasites. In fact, it’s widely suspected to be a contributor to the spread of Mediterranean fish parasites to the Atlantic during the Roman era. Y i k e s
It sounds gross af, tbqh. Even the Romans acknowledged that the breath of someone who had just eaten garum was revolting, though, with one Roman love poet (sarcastically?) complimenting a man for continuing to pursue a woman after she had eaten six helpings of garum. But it must have had something going for it to be so widely popular - de gustibus non disputandum est!
More relevantly to military rations, Roman soldiers were extremely well-fed. It’s been noted by some classicists that for all the innumerable complaints we have from ordinary Roman legionaries about their conditions - hard labor, pay, monetary deductions, not enough wine - food, perhaps uniquely amongst professional armies, does not pop up as an issue! Roman legionaries were issued a regular ration of grain (to be made into bread), meat, beans and lentils, cheese, salt, wine, vinegar, and olive oil; and probably a pretty substantial amount of it at that.
Romans suffered from parasites in general for a variety of reasons - I’m addressing, specifically, the spread of fish parasites from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, which is generally attributed to the wide transport of garum by the Roman Empire (and then passing through human feces, washed down through a river, and then into the Atlantic Ocean). Parasite eggs are generally more hardy than the parasites themselves, which allow them to survive harsher conditions until consumed by some unwitting Roman with no conception of micro-organisms.
That being said, and while I would like to clarify that composting was practiced by better-read Roman farmers and that generally animal waste was preferred, you’re absolutely correct about human feces as fertilizer helping put Romans on the parasitic infection merry-go-round.
I happen to be in Malaysia ATM. Let me see what I can find 😳 I love me some standard (squid brand) fish sauce, but I’ve also seen fermented fish taken a step too far…
Explanation: Not just a military food! Roman garum was fish sauce left to ferment, and was a condiment they put on everything. Bread, meat, other fish, salad, porridge, wine, fruit, everything. It was considered such an essential foodstuff that, like bread and wine, it was provided to slaves. There were varieties that were cheap as could be, like wine, and like wine, there were varieties that would cost a year’s wages for a common laborer just to get a single container of.
Since it wasn’t, y’know, boiled or anything, just left to ferment, it was a great way to get fish parasites. In fact, it’s widely suspected to be a contributor to the spread of Mediterranean fish parasites to the Atlantic during the Roman era. Y i k e s
It sounds gross af, tbqh. Even the Romans acknowledged that the breath of someone who had just eaten garum was revolting, though, with one Roman love poet (sarcastically?) complimenting a man for continuing to pursue a woman after she had eaten six helpings of garum. But it must have had something going for it to be so widely popular - de gustibus non disputandum est!
More relevantly to military rations, Roman soldiers were extremely well-fed. It’s been noted by some classicists that for all the innumerable complaints we have from ordinary Roman legionaries about their conditions - hard labor, pay, monetary deductions, not enough wine - food, perhaps uniquely amongst professional armies, does not pop up as an issue! Roman legionaries were issued a regular ration of grain (to be made into bread), meat, beans and lentils, cheese, salt, wine, vinegar, and olive oil; and probably a pretty substantial amount of it at that.
Garum was made with fish and a ton of salt. Nothing could survive that much salt.
Romans suffered from parasites because they used human feces as fertilizer without processing it in any way
Romans suffered from parasites in general for a variety of reasons - I’m addressing, specifically, the spread of fish parasites from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, which is generally attributed to the wide transport of garum by the Roman Empire (and then passing through human feces, washed down through a river, and then into the Atlantic Ocean). Parasite eggs are generally more hardy than the parasites themselves, which allow them to survive harsher conditions until consumed by some unwitting Roman with no conception of micro-organisms.
That being said, and while I would like to clarify that composting was practiced by better-read Roman farmers and that generally animal waste was preferred, you’re absolutely correct about human feces as fertilizer helping put Romans on the parasitic infection merry-go-round.
Is that so much different from modern Asian fish sauce or Italian Colatura? Both of which are delicious.
Edit: these guys seem to love their Colatura, and yet they say:
So… I guess that answers my question.
I’ve actually heard it compared to Southeast Asian fermented fish sauces, but those don’t sound appetizing to me either XD
See edit above.
I happen to be in Malaysia ATM. Let me see what I can find 😳 I love me some standard (squid brand) fish sauce, but I’ve also seen fermented fish taken a step too far…