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Roman Bronze Fishhook
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Date: circa 1st-3rd centuries AD
Size: 55 mm
In the De re coquinaria of Apicius – the only cookbook that has come down to us from antiquity – fish play a major part, but then Apicius was writing for an upper-class clientele, and his recipes do not reflect the diet of an average Roman. As fuel was expensive and many dwellings had no cooking facilities, a hot meal was often obtained from the cook shop on the corner: typically stew or soup based on vegetables and legumes, and bread or porridge to go with it.
The fish product most likely to be found in the average Roman kitchen or cookshop was garum, a sauce made from fermented fish and similar to the sauce known as umami or nuac, which is very popular throughout East Asia today. Garum was used to give flavor to stews, soups and many other dishes; it could also be eaten as a relish on bread.
Anchovies, hamsi and mackerel were among the fish species most often fermented to make sauce, but any fish could be used. Because the mix of fish going into the vats reflected the composition of local catches, there were important differences between garum from different production sites – important, at least, to Roman connoisseurs – and sauce from certain producers was highly prized (and priced). High quality fish sauce was bottled in labeled containers, transported over long distances and sold at high prices. The house of a garum wholesaler, Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, has been excavated in Pompeii.
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![Roman Bronze Fishhook
[b][u]Date[/u]: circa 1st-3rd centuries AD
[u]Size[/u]: 55 mm
In the [i]De re coquinaria[/i] of Apicius – the only cookbook that has come down to us from antiquity – fish play a major part, but then Apicius was writing for an upper-class clientele, and his recipes do not reflect the diet of an average Roman. As fuel was expensive and many dwellings had no cooking facilities, a hot meal was often obtained from the cook shop on the corner: typically stew or soup based on vegetables and legumes, and bread or porridge to go with it.
The fish product most likely to be found in the average Roman kitchen or cookshop was [i]garum[/i], a sauce made from fermented fish and similar to the sauce known as [i]umam[/i]i or [i]nua[/i]c, which is very popular throughout East Asia today. [i]Garum[/i] was used to give flavor to stews, soups and many other dishes; it could also be eaten as a relish on bread.
Anchovies,[i] hamsi[/i] and mackerel were among the fish species most often fermented to make sauce, but any fish could be used. Because the mix of fish going into the vats reflected the composition of local catches, there were important differences between [i]garum[/i] from different production sites – important, at least, to Roman connoisseurs – and sauce from certain producers was highly prized (and priced). High quality fish sauce was bottled in labeled containers, transported over long distances and sold at high prices. The house of a [i]garum[/i] wholesaler, Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, has been excavated in Pompeii.[/b]](albums/userpics/14285/Roman_Fishook.jpg "Roman Bronze Fishhook
[b][u]Date[/u]: circa 1st-3rd centuries AD
[u]Size[/u]: 55 mm
In the [i]De re coquinaria[/i] of Apicius – the only cookbook that has come down to us from antiquity – fish play a major part, but then Apicius was writing for an upper-class clientele, and his recipes do not reflect the diet of an average Roman. As fuel was expensive and many dwellings had no cooking facilities, a hot meal was often obtained from the cook shop on the corner: typically stew or soup based on vegetables and legumes, and bread or porridge to go with it.
The fish product most likely to be found in the average Roman kitchen or cookshop was [i]garum[/i], a sauce made from fermented fish and similar to the sauce known as [i]umam[/i]i or [i]nua[/i]c, which is very popular throughout East Asia today. [i]Garum[/i] was used to give flavor to stews, soups and many other dishes; it could also be eaten as a relish on bread.
Anchovies,[i] hamsi[/i] and mackerel were among the fish species most often fermented to make sauce, but any fish could be used. Because the mix of fish going into the vats reflected the composition of local catches, there were important differences between [i]garum[/i] from different production sites – important, at least, to Roman connoisseurs – and sauce from certain producers was highly prized (and priced). High quality fish sauce was bottled in labeled containers, transported over long distances and sold at high prices. The house of a [i]garum[/i] wholesaler, Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, has been excavated in Pompeii.[/b]")
