Culture

Garum from Troia

~ saltofportugal ~ 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a unique gift from Lisbon for a food-loving friend, we have just the thing. Can the Can, a restaurant in Terreiro do Paço, sells flasks of garum. This fermented fish sauce created by the Greeks was coveted throughout the Roman Empire. Like Asian fermented fish sauces, it enhances flavor, adding a rich umami taste.

The Troia peninsula in Setúbal is home to sprawling remains of piscinae, large basins used by the Romans for salting and fermenting fish. Along Portugal’s Atlantic seaboard, this region is ideal for garum production, thanks to its plentiful fish stocks and a climate favorable for fermentation. 

Maria da Luz and Vitor Vicente, two entrepreneurs, revived the production of garum in Troia using mackerel (favored by the Greeks), swordfish, tuna, sea bream, octopus, mullets, and sardines (our favorite). 

In the Roman Empire, garum was a symbol of extravagance. Pliny the Elder described it in his Natural History as a “liquoris exquisiti,” an exquisite liquor. Priced on par with the rarest perfumes, it was reserved for the tables of the affluent. Today, thanks to Can the Can, this nearly forgotten delicacy is both accessible and affordable.

Can the Can is located at Terreiro do Paço, 82/83 in Lisbon. Click here for their website.

Love and almonds

~ saltofportugal ~ 10 Comments

Amendoas 2018

Candied almonds, which are popular in Portugal during Easter, were used to celebrate weddings in Roman times. Perhaps this Roman custom was inspired by a Greek legend about almonds as a symbol of love. Here’s the story.

Demophon, the king of Athens, visits Thrace where he falls in love with a princess called Phyllis. Demophon sets a day for their wedding and returns to Athens. On the wedding day, Phyllis waits for Demophon at the altar but he fails to arrive. When she dies of heartbreak, the Greek gods take pity and transform her body into an almond tree.  Demophon, who had been delayed, arrives in Thrace and learns about the tragic death of his bride. He embraces the almond tree and the branches blossom with beautiful flowers.