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Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum #12291775 06/13/17 04:11 PM
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I use this a lot. It is an amber liquid that is made from anchovies and salt - the liquid that comes out of the anchovies is fermented for several months.

It has a fishy taste and smell right out of the bottle, but when added to cooking meat it changes flavor profile completely. Common advice is don't open the bottle and sniff it, it will smell like wet cat. But it adds greatness to so many things.

What it adds is basically an MSG type of compound, naturally derived, that definitely adds the umami taste, which is a deep savory taste.

It is especially good with beef recipes (in my humble opinion) but is used in hundreds of ways - all of them great.

You may think this is a completely weird idea but do you like Worcestershire Sauce? Look at the contents, it is based on anchovy.

The Romans were nuts for it, they called it Garum. Garum was a very big deal to the Romans and the Greeks.

GARUM

Here is just one example of what it looks like and costs from Amazon, although this is a premium priced one - check out the review comments:

Fish Sauce

Get yourself a bottle and try it out, well worth the experience!

BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO FISH SAUCE

WHAT IS UMAMI?

Last edited by Lloyd5; 06/13/17 04:37 PM.

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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12291782 06/13/17 04:18 PM
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Your link is lame.

Notlame

It sounds good.


Cast


[Linked Image]

I have a short attention spa
Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Cast] #12291808 06/13/17 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: Cast
Your link is lame.

Notlame

It sounds good.


:-) Link Fixed!


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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12291927 06/13/17 05:36 PM
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Kattelyn Offline
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The demonization of MSG is another one of my pet peeves. Similar to gluten sensitivity, "organic tastes better", and "organic salt". It's naturally occurring in many ingredients in this household... from your anchovies and garum, to tomatoes to kombu (a type of seaweed) in Japanese cooking, to tomatoes and walnuts and parmesan cheese. A lot of folks will point to the studies saying that MSG causes everything from night sweats to heart palpitations... but when the people were told whether or not they were eating food laced with MSG, placebo effect alone would have been able to account for what small fractions actually had problems.

It's a type of salt. Different than the standard table salt, but just as useful in moderation.

Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Kattelyn] #12291979 06/13/17 06:01 PM
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Originally Posted By: Kattelyn
The demonization of MSG is another one of my pet peeves. Similar to gluten sensitivity, "organic tastes better", and "organic salt". It's naturally occurring in many ingredients in this household... from your anchovies and garum, to tomatoes to kombu (a type of seaweed) in Japanese cooking, to tomatoes and walnuts and parmesan cheese. A lot of folks will point to the studies saying that MSG causes everything from night sweats to heart palpitations... but when the people were told whether or not they were eating food laced with MSG, placebo effect alone would have been able to account for what small fractions actually had problems.

It's a type of salt. Different than the standard table salt, but just as useful in moderation.


Another one that is demonized is Nitrate used to cure bacon and sausages. It prevents untold sickness and deaths by killing and preventing bad bacteria - it would be hard to get too much of it when it is used properly - a banana has more natural nitrate in it than does bacon for instance. It has been hugely beneficial to humans for a very long time - but boy do some people get on a soap box about it, people that have no idea what they are talking about.

In fact if you see bacon promoted as either nitrate free or having organic nitrate - it has nitrate in it derived from celery. It may come from a vegetable but it is the same chemical.

People... frown


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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12291991 06/13/17 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: Lloyd5
Another one that is demonized is Nitrate used to cure bacon and sausages. It prevents untold sickness and deaths by killing and preventing bad bacteria - it would be hard to get too much of it when it is used properly - a banana has more natural nitrate in it than does bacon for instance. It has been hugely beneficial to humans for a very long time - but boy do some people get on a soap box about it, people that have no idea what they are talking about.

In fact if you see bacon promoted as either nitrate free or having organic nitrate - it has nitrate in it derived from celery. It may come from a vegetable but it is the same chemical.

People... frown


That's a couple of former friends of mine. They actually managed to get me where I didn't enjoy cooking for people for the longest time because of the fear of nitrates, bell peppers are so spicy they burn holes in my tongue, allergy to oregano and cumin, cilantro was spicy, and the list can go on. As someone with actual food allergies (melons make me wheeze... don't care, still eat them anyway) their kind of selective allergies just get on my nerves.

Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292017 06/13/17 06:19 PM
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I'm eating a bowl of pinto beans for lunch as I type this. I splashed some fish sauce in the bowl, it adds an indescribable richness to the beans that has absolutely nothing like a fish flavor. This fish sauce is pretty much a miracle in some ways. If you aren't allergic to it (you might want to double check with a small test if you have sea food allergies) then it is a boon to many many dishes.

Last edited by Lloyd5; 06/13/17 06:20 PM.

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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292024 06/13/17 06:24 PM
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I hate to admit it because people will then stick their noses up at my recipes, but I do keep straight MSG in the spice pantry and use it regularly. I won't list it on my ingredients, but when I'm cooking for us, it's in there.

It most definitely adds to the flavor... it brings out the richness of the food. Accent seasoning or at Fiesta they sell straight MSG or at the Asian markets, it's sold under ajinomoto.

Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292088 06/13/17 07:02 PM
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MSG has, I THINK, made me feel slightly nauseous. That's not a big bad health scare kind of thing, but probably more of an individual reaction. I first noticed it after eating KFC chicken a few times. Every time I ate KFC I would later get that slightly nauseous feeling.

I'm a long long way from being a hypochondriac, but I do sometimes notice trends like that.

On researching to see if other people had the experience I found plenty that did. Further research turned up that KFC is heavily laden with MSG - as in heavily.

Maybe it's something else other than the MSG, I don't know for sure - but I know it isn't my imagination. A couple of years after swearing off KFC I ate some again, had forgotten about the nausea, and I sure enough became nauseous again. I eat Chicken Express and Church's chicken pretty often with no problems.

Fish sauce has never had that effect on me.


Last edited by Lloyd5; 06/13/17 07:09 PM.

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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292180 06/13/17 07:53 PM
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If the fish sauce hasn't bothered you then it's not the MSG. It's in MUCH higher concentration in that than in KFC. I've had issues with KFC because of the grease for years. Fresher grease and higher temperatures makes the symptom go away, but if it sits in cold, old grease and just soaks it up, I'm going to have issues.

Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Kattelyn] #12292252 06/13/17 08:26 PM
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I'll take your word for it - all I can testify in court to is that KFC makes me slightly nauseous as much as I do love it - and fish sauce never has.


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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292347 06/13/17 09:20 PM
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Fish Sauces smells like rotten fish that has set out in the sun for days.

It's a very nasty smell, my wife uses it a lot and cooks with it.

Smell is nasty, but puts a good taste on food.

Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292353 06/13/17 09:23 PM
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Besides the sidetrack over MSG, I am glad to see this. I have a book of recipes that is talking about ancient cuisines in Rome and Greece. Can't cook true Roman cuisine without garum.

Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Kattelyn] #12292845 06/14/17 01:56 AM
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Originally Posted By: Kattelyn
Besides the sidetrack over MSG, I am glad to see this. I have a book of recipes that is talking about ancient cuisines in Rome and Greece. Can't cook true Roman cuisine without garum.


Apicius?


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Re: Fish Sauce or as the Romans called it - Garum [Re: Lloyd5] #12292990 06/14/17 03:22 AM
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Originally Posted By: Lloyd5
Originally Posted By: Kattelyn
Besides the sidetrack over MSG, I am glad to see this. I have a book of recipes that is talking about ancient cuisines in Rome and Greece. Can't cook true Roman cuisine without garum.


Apicius?



Yes!

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