Garum

Garum was a fermented fish sauce widely used as a condiment across the ancient Mediterranean, made by salting fish innards along with small whole fish such as anchovies, sprats, sardines, mackerel or tuna and leaving the mixture to ferment in the sun, being turned frequently over weeks. Phoenicia, ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage and later Byzantium all produced and traded garum, with the Greeks using it before the Romans made it a staple flavoring across their empire, often diluted with water for ordinary soldiers rather than served at full strength. It gave an umami-rich seasoning to dishes ranging from boiled veal to steamed mussels, and beyond the kitchen it was also used medicinally, applied to ailments such as dysentery and dog bites.