Ancient Roman Garum Revisited 

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I love how half of the stuff garum was alleged to treat were all things that you could do with just plain salt because it killed bacteria.

"Do not make this" Brother this is absolutely going to be my next summer project, food poisoning be damned

I love how fermentation is A) not dangerous (even beneficial) and B) Often delicious despite the fact it's rotten food. Wild.

I love the gyrados in the back instead of magikarp from the first video, like a symbol of how your channel has grown too:)

I'm so happy for you. I remember the first Garum video, where you were not able to make the long version because of the old house. You have come a long way and I am very glad you decided to pursue RU-vid. I know it was a hard decision and we are all very grateful and look forward to more amazing videos.

Greetings as a viewer from Vietnam. Here our fish sauce is made almost the same way as your garum, but fermented for longer, which i think makes the flavour more mellow and umami. It is still so popular that it appears in almost every dishes just like with the ancient roman. In Vietnam and Laos, the unfiltered garum can also be used and actually tastes quite good when combined with other ingredients.

Garum seems like something that was discovered completely by accident. Like one guy tried to make normal salted fish, did something incorrectly, and forgot about it for a couple months and then tasted it out of curiosity and realized it was actually pretty good

My ancestors (Chinese migrants to Thailand) started a small fish sauce factory nearly 100 years ago in Northern town of Lampang, which was shut down a long time ago as we couldn’t really compete with the bigger players, and all of the descendants, my dad and aunts and uncles, pursued other careers. But it was still operating when I was young and I can still remember the smell! We visited the relatives who lived next to this factory every year. And even though the last bottle left the factory almost 2 decades ago, you can still smell it to this day.

As someone who was hyped about an area of Max’s house being dedicated to Garum, I’m thoroughly intrigued.

Fun fact: I live in Italy, next to a village where garum is still made - Cetara is the name of the village, and we consume it as a seasoning for pasta.

Very interesting hearing about the notes about not consuming garum when tending bees! I recently read in a bee-keeping book for beginners that consuming a lot of garlic and onions is not advisable when you are tending bees because they interpret that smell as you being sick and will treat you as such.

I love the fact that people around the world from Rome to Japan, thought to stick fish and salt together for a couple of months, and decided to eat it.😮

You might be the only person who can make me sit, relax and enjoy a 23 Minutes session about Fish Sauce

The deep belly laugh I had when he said, "do NOT MAKE THIS" is unparalleled😂😂😂

My granny used to live on a tributary of the River Bann in Northern Ireland. I remember her keeping, somewhere near the turf shed, a wooden barrel into which she threw the guts, heads, and tails of the fish we used to catch. A tap at the bottom of the barrel decanted the liquid that she would then later refine/filter. Smashing stuff just on some floury spuds! (PS. I am not that ancient… a 70s born GenXer)

I wonder if regional bacterial variations had an effect on the quality of garum from various locations - kind of like how San Francisco sourdough is so prized?

I made garum as a part of my final for a course on the history of Republican Rome. I had a hard time getting whole fish anywhere, but eventually found some at an Asian market. All was going well for the first month or two until my roommate (basically a stranger to me at the time) accidentally kicked it over in the middle of the night. He didn't have the heart to tell me, so he just kind of scooped it back into the vessel along with some inadvertent leaves and dirt. About two days later I went over to check on it and was horrified to see all sorts of foreign objects inside and smells that were offensive even in the context of making this putrid condiment. I made some "quick garum" based off of your recipe on this channel to pass off as my final project for the course. It worked out okay, but I haven't had the motivation to try this again.

This is one of your best episodes

Interesting note on the sweet dishes with Garum My Vietnamese girlfriend swears by dipping mango slices in Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) and chilis, its actually really good!

Many people around the world use a fermented fish sauce Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Philippines and British (Worcestershire sauce).

I need to let it be known I watched the first garum video while I was giving birth at the hospital and the look on the doctors face when he asked what I was watching and I said making fermented fish juice was priceless 😂

I have to say it…HOLY MACKEREL! So happy to finally see the results of this exploratory archaeological experiment!

I think you should make the Parthian Chicken again. This time you will be using true Garum and Asafaetida, meaning it may have an even more exotic taste.

In the area I lived in Italy, they made colatura de alici. They used large ceramic jars that look like tall vases with a tiny hole drilled in the bottom, they’re like maybe three feet tall. Layers of salt and anchovies are built up and over time a rather small bottle is filled from it. It tastes almost exactly like Thai fish sauce, which is much cheaper so a good substitute for recipes that call for colatura or garum

Not to sound too cliche, but this video is one for the ages. I know I can't be the only one who's been waiting with anticipation for the day you finally finished this grand project of making garum, and I'm very pleased to vicariously experience your reaction.

I started Tasting History with Garum, and I'm going to... continue watching it every week with more Garum!

It might be worth trying to pour the sludge into a tall container and allowing it to settle. After that, *if* it settles, one can decant or siphon off the clear portion. Works when making wine, anyway!

Hi max, I‘ve discovered your channel a couple of days ago and I can’t stop watching your videos (I just ordered your book). Just wanted to add a little fun fact, I’m from Rome and all my life I spent the summer in a little town on the coast called Scauri, which I recently discovered takes it’s name from scaurus the garum guy who built his villa there ( which is reasonably close to where Pompei used to be) with all the money he made from selling Garum. You can still see some ruins of the villa outside of the modern town. Love your work thanks for the videos

This was a fun segment, for those of us who got to OBSERVE the nasty process from a great distance. Thanks for going the extra 10,000 culinary miles for the rest of us curious cowards. I really would like to see you make that unusual pear dessert.

If you ever need to strain a liquid like that again, one tip I can give is to use paint strainers. They're extremely inexpensive and funnel-shaped and you can get different mesh gradients depending on how finely you need it filtered. I use them to filter my oil after frying stuff.

Making this in the summer. Remember that salt was 400% mora expensive than salt nowadays. 12.5 salinity versus 25%-30% makes economical sense in a Roman culture. I am a Latinist and going to enjoy making this!

Yay! You finally made real garum! I've been viewing your channel for nearly 3 years and you talking about making it one day and that day came. So happy for you!

Max's glow up is impressive. Not only is he more handsome and knowledgeable than when he made the first video about garum, he was also able to buy a bigger house with a garden that would allow him to make said garum! I'm so proud of how far he's come!

I love that you brought people over and made them smell your vat of fish like a proud father. Great video we have come full circle with this one feom the original!

Still today anchovy paste in a tube is consumed in Italy. For example bread, butter and anchovy paste, or pasta with butter and anchovy paste. You otherwise can use it in many dishes.

Just received your book! What a treat. Thank you. , now looking forward to the next one ❤ Back in the 1970s when I was at school in Scotland, we had a small class who did Latin and Greek. Our Domine ( never teacher, he was old school and wore a tweed suit and gown) taught us the curriculum as best he could. We were 8 of the mixed students who were avoiding PE in Year 5 (17yr olds) and wanted a classic to aid in our Uni entrance. It was a hard exam, learning screeds of Latin poetry, verbs, translating, ablatives in the passive. He was in his 60s, Edinburgh educated and a great believer in a “ democratic intellect”. He espoused Catullus and Ovids love poetry- which we found in the main university library in Edinburgh. He forgot that most of it was pornography by the standards of the day, he was an old liberal, well travelled batchelor. It was a wonderful impetus to spur us on to get cracking with translating! I also found Epicurius recipes in translation and spent far too long reading those. Happy days. So I remember the recipe for Garum. Revolting. But so are lots of things on paper. I have fond memories of my Latin Domine, the large mole on his nose, Ovid, Catullus and going on to do a Masters in History… Thank you for doing the Garum, I can’t imagine doing it. Not my thing. 😮

this garum making process is so similar to my mom's homemade fish sauce here in vietnam. its so fascinating how people from such far away places make fish sauce in almost the same way

You had us at Garum. And you have us again. The dedication to your craft is palpable, Max. But oh my, the look between the spoon and the bottle after that first taste, it almost looked like you were considering a second taste.

I imagine the reason why Garum was forbidden from being made near settlements was because the containers it fermented in were more open, while your big glass has a much thinner neck (it did say they left it in a baker's bowl or some such) Since odor leaves from the surface, it not only having a much narrower surface but also escape route (and you covering it to prevent stuff from getting into it) meant that the smell had a much harder time getting out and just kinda... stuck around

Suggestion: it would be very cool if you attempted to discover the nutritional/compositional elements of the foods, garum in this case. I think it would be very interesting to know exactly what it is composed of after the whole process has been completed.

As a Filipino, the brown sludge during the first few weeks that you were fermenting the Garum looked like our local condiment, Bagoong. I wouldn't be surprised, if like you said, they also use the brown stuff that you strained out. In the Philippines, the Liquamen is called Patis. Your Garum looks so beautiful! I want to taste it! Fish sauce is the best! When I first started cooking, I tried to replace some of the salt in recipes with fish sauce, and it is a game changer! Please, try to replace the salt in your recipes with fish sauce! Fish sauce gives a deeper flavor--it's not just salty, it's umami as well. Use it in stir-fry, soups, stews instead of just salt, and you will get a deeper flavor. 😊

Garum is one of those foods that I always wonder who was the first person to try it

I haven't made garum, but I have made nam pla from local anchovies. I also took a few quarters in vector biology & worked in profesional kitchens Loved this video! ♥The nostalgia is sooo wonderful!!!

9:10 took me 9 mins to realize I’ve been watching at 0.75x speed. Knew something sounded off

Max making true Garum feels like a more important coming-of-age celebration for the channel than 2 million subscribers. 🤣

Watching the Garum process on Instagram was very entertaining. I'd see Max with his garum followed by Jose and his flowers! All I could picture was Max in a little corner of the garden being a garum goblin while Jose was hanging out with his pretty flowers. 🤣

Max, please learn that your videos are enjoyed in Romania, and that I love your wit, talent, thoroughness and just about everything. If you re ever down, please remember how many people love and admire you sincerely. You rock!

Just bought your cookbook today 🎉 I walked into a little bookstore today and they had it right at the front, I couldn't resist. Last copy they had.

Fish sauce really is magic in a bottle. It's amazing how many cultures have (or had) their own version of it.

I‘m one of those who found your channel exactly for this reason. Inspired by your experiment I ordered „Colatura di Alici“ from an italien specialties shop. I can honestly say I was blown away by the taste of it. Ever since it has become a staple in my kitchen. There is hardly any meal without a tiny dash of Colatura di Alici.

I love learning about ancient foods/recipes that we still or no longer really use, especially the ones that make you question on how they figured out how to make it. Like with garum, did some lazy person just leave a pot of fish out in the sun and then never looked at it until months later and then decided they wanted to taste the sludge it produced? Wild stuff, but amazing video!

Like others, you did have me at garum. Came for the garum, stayed for the all-too-rare attention to correct pronunciation of other languages. Thank you again for that. And since you do care a great deal about language, allow me to request that you differentiate "infer" from "imply" more carefully. Keep up the great work!

In the Philippines, the muddy brown mixture you just made is called Ginamos(Guinamos/Fish Bagoong)..a kind of fermented fish paste used as a base for many traditional country dishes like stewed vegetables and also as dipping sauce (combined with chillies and lime juice)for char grilled seafood dishes and fresh sea weed salad..The clear amber liquid is a by-product of Guinamos or Bagoong, what we know as Liquamen.."Patis" in these parts, "Nam Pla"(Thai).."Nuoc mam"(Vietnamese)..The color flavors and concentration of the fish sauce vary depending on the type of fishes and or shell fishes used in it's making..❤

My grandparents made garum just like this! My grandfather would save some of the smaller fish he caught and they would salt it and leave it covered with a cheesecloth in his workshop. They would use it in everything but one application I liked was mixing it with some herbs and butter to go over toast like marmite. Thanks Max for another wonderful recipe and I do love the cookbook!

Another important thing to note is that salty and umami are different "flavours" or tastes. For example, that himilayan pink is salty but not umami, while shiitake mushrooms are rich in umami but not salty

Wonder if you'll consider a video like this but i would be super interested in a taste test/comparison of the garum you made with other fish sauces around the world like nuoc mam (vietnam), patis (philippines), prahok (cambodia), nam pla (thailand), gyosho (japan)! 💗

“All summer, one of my favorite things to do was to invite friends over to look at the garum, and smell it.” Max really knows how to throw a party!

That sting is ammonia, a natural byproduct of the decomposition process. That's why it's recommended to leave the jar open. You don't want to ingest ammonia but let it off gas. I also think stirring it caused it to become cloudier than you needed Had you just left it to sink to the bottom, you probably would have had a much clearer liquid to pour off.

Garum salsum mihi placet! Starting learning Latin several months ago, and Garum has had a huge part in the vocabulary. Also I understand every bit of latin in this video, and that wss incredibly validating. Thanks for the great vid, Maximo.

That rotten smell you expected is from decomposition not fermentation. There’s something ranchers in Mexico do they take alfalfa cut it down and put it into holes in the ground then smash it and cover it up. It’s left to sit until the next year and if it smells rotten you didn’t get enough air out. It ferments with anaerobic bacteria. It smells really interesting, almost like slightly burnt grass

You have to give a lot of credit to the first person that said "Hmm. I wonder how this rotted fish liquid would go with my dinner"

It really does make me feel good that this video has risen through everything else on RU-vid to be one of the top trending videos right now. The channel is great, Max is awesome, and it's just nice to see such time and quality work rewarded.

The mead video is what hooked me, I made the short mead and now I have 10 gallons of mead aging (some almost 2 years now) and have drunk a few gallons worth along the way. It’s all come out pretty good so far.

Yessss I’ve been waiting to see your revisit to garum!!! It’s amazing to see how far you’ve come since that first garum video absolutely love it and great work max!!

I don’t even know Max personally, but I’m unreasonably proud to see this video is trending!!! 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

That thing at the end about using smoke to "fix" bad garum actually makes a lot of sense chemically. Pitch is a really good adsorbent, meaning that it can collect a lot of impurities from solutions by having them stick to its surface, much like how your phone screen adsorbs grease from your fingers. Activated charcoal (very close to pitch) is used these days in cleaning water, filtering vodka, air purifiers and even as an antidote for poisonings.

Max this is probably my favorite episode of yours thus far. Just great. Thank you for this.

Congrats for your channel. As a curiosity: Garum was considered by the inhabitants of Ancient Rome as an aphrodisiac food, only consumed by the upper classes of society. I am from Cartagena, a town in the southeast of Spain, which was of great importance during Roman domination largely due to the maritime trade of garum, minerals, etc.

I read the epigram of martial from 15:44 , and he actually doesn't use "making love" or anything, it's even better. He says "you are a man of iron if your member can get hard, Flaccus", which I find even more beautiful.

Huzzah, it's finally here!! This long awaited moment is finally upon us, rejoice, good viewers of the Tasting History channel!

Max, been watching your channel since the beginning, love how you combine food & history. Glad your channel grew to the size it has and that you continue to deliver these videos in grander format. Keep up the good work!

Classy presentation, my compliments to your channel. It's an amazing combination of ancient culinary history and a relaxed atmosphere of a TV cooking show with Max Miller. Very good.

Fantastic work! I'm a Roman archaeologist and I love to see the experimental archaeology you do here - especially Roman recipes!

My Thai mother told me how as a kid they used to make their own fish sauce using exactly the same method. Luckily nowadays we buy them from shop 😅

You can visit one of these factories in Spain, Baelo Claudia in Bolonia village (Cadiz), the city had a theater for 2000 people, 4 aqueducts and 4 temples, all paid with garum

You are one of my favorite people just your enthusiasm for this food in history not many people have a passion of some thing as you do and very few of the ones that you share it with the world. Thank you I wish the best for you and your husband.

I wonder if in the early empire, Garum specifically referred to like a partially strained version that is more of that cloudy dark brown, whereas liquemen was the completely filtered amber color form that we use today. And the terms became interchangeable probably because liquemen was generally safer to consume and most likely no where near as potent or strong as the clouded stuff. I also just now realize how much the romans were fond of very strong flavors considering their two most favorite condiments were garum and silphium (a close relative to Asafoetida), both of which are pretty strong flavors.

I don't think I'd be great at expressing how much joy this channel has been giving me ever since I discovered it. You're possibly the only person who could've made me so interested in something as (seemingly) mundane as fish sauce. Now I'm reading all about the different kinds that exist or have existed! As for my boy Dioscorides he may have been on to something, because swishing salt water in your mouth is actually a good way to alleviate swelling of the tissues through osmosis!

I really enjoy these videos, I love the amount of time and research you put in these videos! Would definitely love to see some roman recipes where you use the garum you made in this episode, see how it really fits in to the dishes!

I love the nod to the old video with the Magikarp plush in the background evolving into a Gyarados!

I was among those introduced to this channel by your first Garum video, and I am so happy to see how much the channel has flourished since then. Also, "The House That Garum Built" Maybe you should design a coat of arms for tasting history with that as the motto, and put that on your next shirt.

The pride on your face when you announce what you made for today's episode, well-earned 😄

Wow, has it already been 3 years since I randomly came across that original Garum video? I'm more surprised I hadn't subscribed at that point so now, 3 years overdue, you have my sub. :)

21:10 'astringent' is probably the word you're looking for

If you ever need to do the basket thing again, look for the baskets used to strain tofu. They’re used basically the same way as described in the historical text

I appreciate the fact that you tasted 4 month fermented fish sauce with a spoon. You are far more brave than I am, my good sir. 👏🏽

Really glad to see this revisit! I akways figured you’d try to make the real thing at some point. Now I look forward to whatever recipe you end making where you get to use your proudly homemade garum as an integral ingredient.

I've followed you since your first post about making cheese. You really deserve to make two million subscribers, so I’ll help amplify your message.

13:30 - So, I found some rough sources because I wanted to see how much Garum Sociorum would've cost today: So, one sestertius is about equivalent to $1.50 (I've seen estimates from $0.25 to $6, since the value of money and goods changed so much, it's hard to directly compare roman currency to modern currency), and one Congius is about 0.92 gal or 3.48 litres. So, that would mean Garum Sociorum would be $1500 for 1.84 gal or 6.96 litres. But what if you weren't rich and didn't own a Roman Villa? How much would a smaller quantity cost? Well, for 250ml (8.45 fl oz), it would cost around $53 (£43.36, €49.46). That's pretty expensive for a food ingredient, and if you use the higher estimate for sestertius it would be around $215.51 (£176.32, €201.14). But there are other ingredients used in haute cuisine that are very expensive as well like white truffles, caviar, foie gras etc. _"Hardly any other liquid, other than perfumes, commands such a price."_ Dior Sauvage costs $181 (£148.29, €169.16) Chanel No. 5 costs $312 (£255.26, €291.19) Chanel Coco Mademoiselle costs $312 (£255.26, €291.19) Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium costs $323 (£264.53, €301.77) Mugler Angel costs $463 (£378.79 , €432.12) Tom Ford Black Orchid costs $688 (£562.46, €641.64, this stuff smells amazing btw) Creed Aventus costs $775 (£634.05, €723.31) So, it's about right, even for today's perfumes. These are all for 250mL of the Eau de Parfum versions, using the price listed on the official website. If they didn't have a 250mL, I took the largest size they had then multiplied it to get to 250mL. EDIT: So, what about other modern, expensive ingredients? One of the most expensive balsamic vinegars ever, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP costs $2562 (£2,018.31, €2,353.33) for 250mL (damn). Beluga Caviar costs $1308.33 (£1,030.36, €1,201.77) for 250g Saffron costs $898.25 (£707.69, €825) for 250g The True Honey Co. 1500+ MGO Manuka Honey costs $476.10 (£375, €437.32) for 250g Kopi Luwak coffee costs $375 (£295.60, €344.46) for 250g Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Extra Old by Pedroni costs $357 (£281.12, €327.92) for 250mL Vanilla pods cost $189.77 (£149.57 ,€174.38) for 250g Ethical Foie Gras costs $175 (£137.81, €160.75) for 250g Jamon Iberico de Bellota costs $74.40 (£58.60, €68.34) for 250g Miyazaki Japanese Wagyu A5 costs $84.13 (£66.25, €77.24) for 250g I could've added more, but I couldn't be bothered lol.

I love the touch that there was a Magikarp in the original video and a pair of Gyarados in this one. Garum is something I should try, given that I likely have Roman ancestors somewhere along the line. Congratulations on finally finishing the journey, Max!

You truly have a gift for presentation. I had a really hard day in a long row of hard and taxing days. Your opening had me laugh out loud. Thank you for documenting this process! Garrum is one of these things about the ancient world that has a lasting fascination for me. Have a good day! ☀️

I remember watching the first garum video and I’ve wanted to try so many of the recipes you’ve shown. They all look so good.

When I went to Italy I stopped by Fabbrica Nettuno in Cetara, where they produce the finest Coloutra Di Alici. (Modern equivalent of Garum) the welcoming owner must have seen how ecstatic I was to finally get my hand on this because he lead me down the back and showed me the production center and copious amount of barrels of this golden amber, some labeled as far back as 2014. Definitely recommend to visit if you’re near the Amalfi coast.

Its so amazing how you cite primary sources in every single video. You are an actual historian and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Great content, thank you for the time and effort making this video!

Epic video. Thanks for sharing! I cannot wait to see what you use this for in future videos.

How potent is Garum? The answer can be found in how many of us (especially those of us who stumbled across your first Garum video back in mid-2020) now routinely adjust our Tuesday schedules to catch the latest Max Miller video after it is posted on your RU-vid channel. I suppose the ancient citizens of Rome would never raise a toast using Garum, but here's to you, Max (and Jose!), and to your well-earned success, and to all the delicious and unexpected ways you bring delight to your viewers! Please keep researching and cooking and tasting and sharing your work with us!

I just wanted to say it is AWESOME to hear the proper, classical pronunciation of Latin. I really appreciate the work you put in to pronounce things in general, and you seem so comfortable doing it - you don't Alex Trebek it (may he rest in peace) and make it stick out all weird. Much love to you Max, and I also appreciate the captioning, Jose. I see you down there!

I'm willing to bet the Garum you made there would be of very high quality back in Roman times. It's made from Mackerel, you had multiple modern strainers, and you took great care keeping an eye on and tending to it during the fermentation process. I'm sure if you took that Garum back to the ancient Romans they'd love it lmao