Sunday, December 20, 2015

Big Deal. I Have Ketchup that Old in my Refrigerator.

Shipwreck Filled With Roman 'Ketchup' Discovered off Italy's Coast : Archaeologists recently discovered a Roman shipwreck off the coast of northeastern Italy that dates back to the 1st or 2nd century CE. Unlike other recent aquatic finds such as the Spanish galleon San Jose, this submerged craft wasn’t laden with gold, jewels, or other precious relics. Instead, The Local reports that it once contained 3000 jars of a fermented fish sauce called garum—a condiment that’s considered the “ketchup” of the ancient Mediterranean.

5 comments:

Jeff Meyerson said...

Don't let Dave Barry hear you. He is on a crusade to convince the world that ketchup does NOT need to be refrigerated.

mybillcrider said...

I tried for years to convince Judy of that. She would never listen. My family didn't refrigerate it when I was growing up.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I must admit we've always refrigerated ours, though I do note that restaurants seem to keep ketchup on the tables. (You can tell I'm not talking Cordon Bleu here.)

Fred Zackel said...

Garum may have been one of the most disgusting food items of the ancient world. Fermented fish glue ... Gnarly crap! Romans sold it throughout the Empire. There were food stands at Pompeii.

Cap'n Bob said...

I've always refrigerated ketchup and all other condiments because it says to do it on the container.

I wonder if that gunk they found in the Roman ship came in those tiny aluminum packets.