Ancient evidence of the culinary preference of the Romans who lived in Israel 2,000 years ago was brought to light during an archaeological dig in Ashkelon, according to an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announcement on Monday. An ancient factory for fermenting fish sauce, or garum, was recently found near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Garum was extremely popular during the era of the Roman Empire and was in high demand to add flavor to almost all recipes.

“I think of it as a condiment, but it went well beyond that,” Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini of the Israel Antiquities Authority said. “It’s hard for us to imagine. It was far more common than ketchup.”

“Historical sources describe the production of the special fish sauce which served as a basic spice for foods during the Roman and Byzantine era in the entire Mediterranean basin,” Dr. Erickson-Gini added. “They say that the stench caused by its preparation forced the production area to be distanced to the outskirts of settlements, and sure enough, in this case, the equipment was found about two kilometers away from ancient Ashkelon.”

“This is a rare find in our region and very few installations of this kind have been found in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Dr. Erickson-Gini said, explaining that only one other site in Israel has been found that may have produced garum. “What interests me is the fact that this product was very, very popular in the Roman and Byzantine period. As popular as it was, you’d expect to find a lot of installations. I’m shocked we haven’t found more of them in excavations.”

“Ancient sources even refer to the production of Jewish garum. The discovery of this kind of installation in Ashkelon shows that the Roman customs that spread throughout the empire were not limited to dress but also included culinary habits.”

Garum was so popular during the Roman era that at times it was sold for huge sums of money. An entire trade network centered around the production and export of garum from place to place in the Roman empire.

The Roman industrial site for the fish sauce was eventually abandoned but the excellent conditions there for growing grapes remained and in the Byzantine era, a convent opened there which apparently funded itself through wine production. Three wine presses were built there alongside a luxurious church. The church didn’t survive but small items from it, like decorative pieces of marble and impressive mosaic decorations, were found on the site. Remnants of a giant production facility for clay jars were also found nearby the site, which were probably used for exporting the wine.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)