ABSTRACT

In this chapter the many experimental approaches to ancient fish sauce are explored. The work of Driard 2012, Comis and Re 2009, and García Vargas et al. 2014 are described in detail, followed by a comprehensive account of the experiments conducted by the author (Grainger 2012, 2013). These experiments confirm that as the timescales of modern processes are so long in comparison to ancient recipes, a great deal of flesh would remain undissolved and would be able to generate considerably more sauce over time. This effectively provides a rational explanation for the apparent trade in what appears to be allec when it is a bony paste. These experiments lead to conclusions that the residue of fish sauce, allec, came in two forms: when it was a marketable and desirable product it was a bone-free fish paste and when traded it was a fish mash. Experiments to manufacture the blood viscera garum sauce are also explored.