Boil over a quick
fire till reduced a third [this means, probably, by a third to a
residue of two- thirds] ; if the wine catches fire, it will greatly
improve the flavour of the sauce. When used for cooking
fish, see that the court bouillon is boiling before putting it
(the fish) in, and have sufficient to cover the fish entirely.’
Two-thirds of a fishpan full of reduced court bouillon is a
large volume of liquid to be worked into a ‘ sauce ’ ; but
this proposition does not impose upon us, as, the translated
/C0J/.-4X GARUJ/ XADE OF SEA FISH
5'9
heading notwithstanding, ‘ court bouillon ’ is not a sauce,
but a material to boil fish in, or to marinade fish in by
pouring the boiling bouillon over the fish and letting it cool.
It is stated to be used to bind certain fish sauces with ‘ a
lier certaiues sauces de poisson ’ (D.D. 467, 468), but this
is the least well defined of its uses. In the recipe just con-
sidered, the fish is entirely forgotten, and the boiling down
to two-thirds is without any meaning.
From other sources of information we learn, that the fish
boiled in court bouillon is to be dished on a plate with a
napkin intervening, and to be eaten with oil and vinegar,
proof sufficient that in this case at least it is not to be
accompanied by any portion of the court bouillon as a sauce.
In other recipes, however, this is the case. The writer in-
forms us that a more economical way of preparing ‘ this
sauce ’ was by using equal quantities of vinegar and water
instead of white wine, and by omitting some of the vege-
tables. Court bouillon may yield good fish, but will never
yield good sauce ; it is an extravagantly costly material, the
product and result of the employment of which is in no
proportion to its expense, except in localities where the
litre of wine is bought for twopence. In England this
court bouillon will be, if at all, but little used.
Gariim of iJie Bomaiis was a celebrated fisJi, sauce made
of fish, and to be eaten with fish* The recipe for its pro-
duction used by the ancients is supposed to be lost. Pliny
states that garum had originally for its basis the flesh of
shrimps, which derives probability from the fact that the
Greek name for shrimp is garos, the Latin gams. It was
* V. Garum, vf. Pliny, xxxi. 3, 7 ; Ibid., xxxii. 11, and several loc.
Isidorus, Archbishop of Sevilla from 59.5 to 63(1, mentions garum in
his ‘ Urigines, sen Ptyinologice, etc., lib.’ (a great encyclopaedia in
twenty books) ; in b. x.x., cap. iii. (Open edit. 1577, fob, p. 71 H mj.),
which is entitled ‘lie iis qme ad victuin, sedes, et instrumenta,’ ttc.
Ex Graes.se, Lit. Gesch., ii. 498. V. Scomber, Martial, xiii. 102;
V. Garum from tunny ; rf. Stephan. Thes. Ling. Grace., v. ; V. Garon ; r/’.
Geoponica, xx., etc.
520
THE SPIRIT or COOKERY
Page 327
Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Boil over a quick fire till reduced a third [this means, probably, by a third to a residue of two- thirds] ; if the wine catches fire, it will greatly improve the flavour of the sauce. When used for cooking fish, see that the court bouillon is boiling before putting it (the fish) in, and have sufficient to cover the fish entirely.’ Two-thirds of a fishpan full of reduced court bouillon is a large volume of liquid to be worked into a ‘ sauce ’ ; but this proposition does not impose upon us, as, the translated
COURT BOUILLON AND GARUM MADE OF SEA FISH
5'9
heading notwithstanding, ‘ court bouillon ’ is not a sauce, but a material to boil fish in, or to marinade fish in by pouring the boiling bouillon over the fish and letting it cool. It is stated to be used to bind certain fish sauces with ‘ a lier certaiues sauces de poisson ’ (D.D. 467, 468), but this is the least well defined of its uses. In the recipe just considered, the fish is entirely forgotten, and the boiling down to two-thirds is without any meaning.
From other sources of information we learn, that the fish boiled in court bouillon is to be dished on a plate with a napkin intervening, and to be eaten with oil and vinegar, proof sufficient that in this case at least it is not to be accompanied by any portion of the court bouillon as a sauce. In other recipes, however, this is the case. The writer informs us that a more economical way of preparing ‘ this sauce ’ was by using equal quantities of vinegar and water instead of white wine, and by omitting some of the vegetables. Court bouillon may yield good fish, but will never yield good sauce ; it is an extravagantly costly material, the product and result of the employment of which is in no proportion to its expense, except in localities where the litre of wine is bought for twopence. In England this court bouillon will be, if at all, but little used.
Garum of the Romans was a celebrated fisJi, sauce made of fish, and to be eaten with fish* The recipe for its production used by the ancients is supposed to be lost. Pliny states that garum had originally for its basis the flesh of shrimps, which derives probability from the fact that the Greek name for shrimp is garos, the Latin gams. It was
* V. Garum, vf. Pliny, xxxi. 3, 7 ; Ibid., xxxii. 11, and several loc. Isidorus, Archbishop of Sevilla from 59.5 to 63(1, mentions garum in his ‘ Origines, sen Etymologice, etc.,lib.’ (a great encyclopaedia in twenty books) ; in b. x.x., cap. iii. (Open edit. 1577, fob, p. 71 H mj.), which is entitled ‘lie iis qme ad victuin, sedes, et instrumenta,’ ttc. Ex Graes.se, Lit. Gesch., ii. 498. V. Scomber, Martial, xiii. 102; V. Garum from tunny ; rf. Stephan. Thes. Ling. Grace., v. ; V. Garon ; r/’. Geoponica, xx., etc.