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For Those Interested in the Research of Dr. Weston A. Price |
Fermented foods ping
Posted on 11/14/2006 2:47:35 AM PST by dbehsman
A shipwrecked first-century vessel carrying delicacies to the richest palates of the Roman Empire has proved a dazzling find, with nearly 2,000-year-old fish bones still nestling inside clay jars, archaeolgists said Monday. Boaters found its cargo of hundreds of amphoras in 2000 when their anchor got tangled with one of the two-handled jars.
After years of arranging financing and crews, exploration of the site a mile off the coast of Alicante in southeast Spain began in July, said Carles de Juan, a co-director of the project, who works for the Valencia regional government.
The ship, estimated to be 100 feet long with a capacity for around 400 tons of cargo, is twice the size of most other Roman shipwrecks found in the Mediterranean, de Juan said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Its cargo of an estimated 1,500 well-preserved clay amphoras was used in this case to hold fish sauce _ a prized condiment for wealthy Romans, he said.
For nearly 2,000 years, the 3-foot-tall amphoras lay undisturbed except for the occasional octopus that would pry one open, breaking the ceramic-and-mortar seal in search of food or shelter.
Besides the size of the ship and good condition of its cargo, the site is also important because it is so easily accessible _ in just 80 feet of water about a mile from the coast. Other wrecks are so deep they cannot be examined by scuba divers.
"I am not going to say it was on the beach, but almost," said de Juan, who was among the first divers to examine the shipwreck in 2000.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
I wonder if it was tartar sauce. ;-)
Maybe a newly-recovered recipe for our enjoyment?
Maybe fish food?
:-)
Ha , Howie will be pleased
I wonder if the Romans had "green weenies and moooonbats' crying that"We'll be out of seafood in fifty years?"
The Romans were very fond of fish sauce, and used it as a seasoning in many foods. It was an important trade item in the Mediterranean.
Yeah, I was interested in hearing the recipe. Alas, the Octopii ate it. :-P
Shipwreck with fish sauce? Sounds a bit too heavy for my tastes.
The Roman Version of WD-40?
If I recall correctly, it was called "Garum", and some of the best was made in a town wiped out by the Vesuvius eruption. Herculanium?
I had read the Romans dumped it on foods the way some people abuse A-1 sauce.
Hic garum est:
Ancient Garum Recipe
Use fatty fish, for example, sardines, and a well-sealed (pitched) container with a 26-35 quart capacity.
Add dried, aromatic herbs possessing a strong flavor, such as dill, coriander, fennel, celery, mint, oregano, and others, making a layer on the bottom of the container; then put down a layer of fish (if small, leave them whole, if large, use pieces) and over this, add a layer of salt two fingers high.
Repeat these layers until the container is filled. Let it rest for seven days in the sun.
Then mix the sauce daily for 20 days. After that, it becomes a liquid.
- Gargilius Martialis, De medicina et de virtute herbarum, reprinted from A Taste of Ancient Rome by Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa, Anna Herklotz (Translator).
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; Reprint edition (May 2, 1994) ISBN: 0226290328
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For Those Interested in the Research of Dr. Weston A. Price |
Fermented foods ping
Yep, Garum AKA liquamen. Here's the recipe from the below link. It sure explains why the fish bones were found in the jars, which surprised me. I've been interested in ancient recipes, but I won't ask anyone to "pass the garum!":
"Ancient Garum Recipe
Use fatty fish, for example, sardines, and a well-sealed (pitched) container with a 26-35 quart capacity. Add dried, aromatic herbs possessing a strong flavor, such as dill, coriander, fennel, celery, mint, oregano, and others, making a layer on the bottom of the container; then put down a layer of fish (if small, leave them whole, if large, use pieces) and over this, add a layer of salt two fingers high. Repeat these layers until the container is filled. Let it rest for seven days in the sun. Then mix the sauce daily for 20 days. After that, it becomes a liquid."
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romanfood/g/garum.htm
Actually it was probably closer to Thai Fish Sauce. The name of the Roman version escapes me at the moment but it was produced by a similar process. Large vats with sardines and other fishy fish allowed to ferment in the hot sun....
The Christians killed 7 lions? Impressive.
...and be sure to stand upwind while performing this step...
All kidding aside though, I'm certainly thankful to not to have been around in those times. Life was so cheap to so many. Still is today in many places around the world. Sigh.
The fish sauce was made in the communities around the Sea of Galilee.
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