LISBON — While the Portuguese say “Quem tem boca vai a Roma,” or “Whoever has a mouth goes to Rome, Julius Caesar probably would have encouraged those with a mouth to go to Lisbon.
A century before Christ, the Roman dictator used to order — before delivery apps and internet orders — from his marble office in the Forum, in the shadow of the Colosseum, a special sardine-based sauce produced in the sunny coastal city of Olisipo (modern-day Lisbon), in the distant Roman province of Lusitania. The condiment is called garum.
This is what the many amphorae found in Lisbon archaeological sites suggest, immense clay jars that two thousand years ago crossed the Mare Nostrum in Roman galleys manned by imperial couriers, rowing for days on end just to satisfy Caesar’s imperial appetite, between one battle and another.
Some of these relics are under the care of the Lisbon Archaeology Center (CAL), where about 16 professionals, including archaeologists, geologists, and conservation specialists, delve into Lisbon’s rich history.
This history is also served at today’s tables, as garum, the sauce appreciated by Caesar, has been revived by companies emulating the long and laborious production process – which depending on the climatic conditions, can take months – of the ancient Roman salt pans in Lisbon and Tróia, a peninsula south of Lisbon.
Roman tastes
The archaeologist António Marques is like an emperor of the Lisbon Archaeology Center. Among the pieces glued from this rich history are immense amphorae stored on shelves in one of CAL’s depots, clay pieces marked by time and imperial seals. There are also pots, plates and other remnants from a time when Lisbon’s cuisine was seasoned to the emperor’s taste.
“Lusitania was certainly the largest garum industry of the Roman Empire, not only in Lisbon but also in Cádiz, Spain. But, in this context, neighboring Tróia was the largest producing center of the sauce,” Marques says. He explains that during the nearly four centuries of Roman Lisbon, daily food prioritized fish, bread and wine, much like today, prepared with seasonings known to the people of Lisbon.
Garum, besides being a condiment, was a product of distinction.
In addition to garum, a kind of intense-flavored fish sauce that enhanced the taste of other meal ingredients. Meals usually took place in public spaces.
“In Roman Lisbon, having a kitchen at home was an exception. Food was generally prepared and served on the street, in taverns or squares, made in huge pots supported on tables, and rarely served in clay plates, as Romans typically didn’t use cutlery; it was more of a finger food style,” Marques says.
While Roman style street food was the culinary trend in Lisbon and other cities of the empire, in Rome, the story was quite different, especially at Caesar’s table, which had a kitchen. And, when the emperor wanted to impress his diners, the bet was on the exotic delicacy produced thousands of kilometers away, in sunny Olisipo.
A product of distinction
“Garum, besides being a condiment, was a product of distinction. Not everyone had the resources to have it in their pantry. The servant certainly did not consume garum, but his master did,” the archaeologist says.
Marques emphasizes that the garum from Lisbon and the region was the best, not only due to the skill of the hundreds of workers devoted to the huge tanks with sardines and also mackerels, but also because they were, to use a term dear to today’s chefs, “reduced” until they acquired the consistency of a sauce.
“Certainly, the temperature of our sea’s water contributed, as it’s known that the colder it is, the better the fish,” Marques says.
After being gutted, the sardines were immersed in a water and salt mixture in the Roman workshops’ tanks and spent months in the curing process. The result of this pre-Christian chemistry was garum, bottled in amphorae and shipped to the tables of the most distinguished Romans.
Amphorae that were found on land and, therefore, empty and without traces of garum. Although the CAL coordinator has not lost hope of discovering one of the sunken Roman vessels with a cargo of garum in its holds. “We haven’t had that luck yet, but we’re always close to it happening,” he says.
A modern touch
You don’t need to be an archaeologist to travel back in time to Roman Lisbon. An initiative by the Directorate of Culture of Lisbon City Council has summoned more than two dozen restaurants in the metropolitan area to recreate, with a modern touch, the food served to the people of Olisipo.
Portuguese chef Miguel Castro e Silva was among those challenged. He included in the menu of his popular restaurant in the Mercado da Ribeira in a tuna dish with a garum-based citrus sauce.
Fish from Lisbon is one of the most sought after by chefs around the world.
“It’s not just the sauce, the garum, but other ingredients from the Roman era that I decided to use, such as citrus, honey, and other spices,” the chef reveals about his recipe, unafraid of being copied.
Castro e Silva agrees with Marques that the water temperature along Lisbon’s coast adds extra flavor to local fish, making the fish from Lisbon one of the most sought after by chefs around the world — and even since the time of the Roman empire.
“Garum exportation during Roman times, from Lisbon to Rome, was no novelty. It continues today, even after the fall of the empire, with our fish, which is one of the most appreciated in the world, bought to be served in restaurants in London and New York,” the chef says.
