On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 461

liquid except perfume has become more
highly valued”; the best, from mackerel
only,camefromRomanoutpostsinSpain.
Garum was made by salting the fish
innards, letting the mixture ferment in the
sun for several months until the flesh had
mostly fallen apart, and then straining the
brown liquid. It was used as an ingredient
in cooked dishes and as a sauce at the
table, sometimes mixed with wine or
vinegar (oenogarum, oxygarum). Some
formofgarumiscalledforinnearlyevery
savory recipe in the late Roman recipe
collectionattributedtoApicius.
Preparationslikegarumpersistedinthe
Mediterranean through the 16th century,
then died out as the modern-day, solid
versionofgarumrosetoprominence:saltcuredbutinnard-freeanchovies.
PreliminarySaltingandDryingNowadays,
fishdestinedforthesmokeraregenerally
soakedinastrongbrineforafewhoursto


days,longenoughtopickupalittlesalt(a
fewpercent,notenoughtoinhibitmicrobial
spoilage).Thisalsodrawstothesurfacesome
oftheproteinsinthemusclefiber,notably
myosin.Whenthefishishungandallowedto
dripdry,thestickylayerofdissolvedmyosin
onthesurfaceformsashinygelorpellicle
thatwillgivethesmokedfishanattractive

goldensheen.(Thegoldcoloriscreatedby
browningreactionsbetweenaldehydesinthe
smokeandaminoacidsinthepellicle,aswell
ascondensationofdarkresinsfromthesmoke
vapor.)
Cold and Hot Smoking The initial smoking
(oftenusingsawdust,whichcanproducemore
smoke at a lower temperature than intact
wood) takes place at a relatively cool
temperature around 85ºF/30ºC, which avoids
hardeningthesurfaceandformingabarrierto
moisture movement from the interior. This
also allows the fish flesh to lose some