garum

[L., fr. Gr. ga`ros.]
A sauce made of small fish. It was prized by the ancients.

[GAR-uhm] The ancient Romans used garum as a flavoring much like salt. This extremely pungent sauce was made by fermenting fish in a brine solution for several days in the sun. The resulting liquid was combined with various other flavorings such as oil, pepper, wine and spices. See also fish sauce.