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6 Min
09/01/2026
An ancient Roman fermented fish sauce is making a slow comeback, shaking up things worldwide. From Sydney restaurants using mackerel trimmings to London venues fermenting parmesan rinds, chefs are reimagining garum as everything from a plant-based umami enhancer to a zero-waste kitchen essential. With versions made from mushrooms, oats, and even insects appearing on menus and shop shelves, this 2,000-year-old condiment is being positioned as an alternative to soy sauce.
Fish sauce has been around for a long time, and it’s what inspired the modern ketchup we use today. But this article is not about that. As much as you’d think East Asia has something to do with fish sauce, it was actually the Greeks and Romans who were fermenting fish and consuming the sauce, way before the Asians. The food world has always cycled through trends, and its latest obsession is turning out to be the ancient Roman condiment garum. The timing makes sense, as diners are demanding more sustainable, flavourful alternatives to conventional seasonings. So, what is garum?
Garum was a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment in ancient Greek, Roman, Carthaginian, and Byzantine cuisines. The original production method was straightforward but time-intensive. Small gutted fish like sardines and mackerels were layered with brine and left to ferment for up to a year, during which microorganisms and enzymes in the fish guts broke down the flesh into a thick, umami-rich liquid.
The sauce was a rich source of umami flavouring due to the presence of glutamates, and the best quality garum fetched extraordinarily high prices. Roman writer Apicius referenced garum in about 20 dishes in his influential first-century BCE cookbook, and production became a lucrative industry with coastal workshops from the Iberian Peninsula to North Africa producing the sauce in bulk for export.
After the fall of Rome, garum largely disappeared from Western cuisine, though it survived in modified forms. Cetara, a town on Italy's Amalfi Coast, still produces colatura di alici, a clear amber fermented anchovy sauce that's garum's closest living descendant, made by layering anchovies with salt in oak barrels.
Garum is getting a slow revival through shows like Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, where Chef Chiara Pavan of the Michelin-starred restaurant Venissa used garum in a pasta dish. Then there are more high-profile chefs like Heston Blumenthal, who made garum using mackerel. There is also Ramael Scully, known for his fermentation experiments; he suggested that garum be made with meat rather than fish. Finally, Rene Redzepi also deserves a mention for his Noma Projects, which launched vegan mushroom garums.
What goes behind making garum is the fermentation, which relies on naturally occurring enzymes in fish intestines to break down the fish and produce robust flavours. But by using koji – a fungus traditionally used to ferment soybeans into soy sauce and miso – chefs could experiment with a wider range of high-protein ingredients and create less salty but equally exquisite garums.
Adding koji (a fungus that grows on cooked rice and soybeans) reduced production time by more than half, allowing chefs to ferment animal protein in warm conditions and create novel variations. The resulting sauces don't play a starring role but work under the surface, imbuing dishes with what Noma calls ‘intricity’.
The most significant development for 2026 is going to be the expansion of garum beyond its fish-based origins. Rene Redzepi’s Noma Projects already sells bottled mushroom garum combining fermented mushrooms, rice koji, and oat garum. Their oat garum began as an experiment to use solid byproducts from oat milk production, which rivalled the ones made from beef.
Chefs have also made garums with protein-rich plant matter like peas, which work well but shouldn't be left in heat for as long as animal protein, as well as unconventional sources, including bee pollen, grasshoppers, and moth larvae. The zero-waste movement has embraced garum as a great solution for kitchen scraps. London's Silo restaurant is quite experimental, making one with beetroots, venison sinew and fava beans. Singapore's Fura uses locust garum to add protein to muhammara, a Middle Eastern red pepper and walnut paste.
Rather than reaching for salt in recipes, chefs use garum to bring both salinity and umami, and at restaurants where meat doesn't play a huge role, garums provide the satisfaction of having eaten beef or chicken without the heaviness.
At Sydney's Saint Peter, chef Josh Niland and his team make garum using mackerel trimmings, which then seasons anything that would usually contain soy, fish sauce, or salt. This gill-to-fin approach maximises every part of the fish.
Unlike standardised soy sauce, garum can be tailored to specific flavour profiles. State Bird Provisions in San Francisco uses garum in dishes like red trout with toasted hazelnut and mandarin-garum vinaigrette, and sells jars of ‘garum salt’.
As vegan and vegetarian dining grows, plant-based garums offer umami depth without animal products, addressing a gap in the market for complex fermented seasonings.
The question for 2026 isn't whether garum will replace soy sauce entirely – it won't. Soy sauce's thousand-year head start, universal availability, affordability and established place in multiple cuisines make it irreplaceable. Rather, garum is carving out space as a premium alternative and speciality ingredient.
The trajectory resembles high-quality vinegars or finishing salts – products that serious home cooks and professionals seek out for specific applications rather than everyday use. As commercial production scales up and prices potentially decrease, garum may move from a chef-driven trend to a standard pantry item for adventurous cooks.
The plant-based versions have particular growth potential. As restaurants expand vegetarian and vegan options, ingredients that deliver profound umami without animal products become increasingly valuable. A mushroom or oat garum that provides the depth of slow-cooked meat has obvious appeal in this context.
The garum revival shows how the oldies truly knew what wellness was about. At the same time, it also addresses concerns around sustainability, flavour, and dietary concerns. Whether you're team fish, team fungi, or team fermentation-in-general, there's likely a garum that fits your taste. As restaurants continue experimenting and commercial products multiply, expect to see garum moving from ‘What's that?’ to ‘Where can I buy it?’
