Last month I wrote about the history of Worcestershire Sauce, a staple in many kitchens since the mid-19th century. I knew that this kind of sauce has been used around the world for centuries before Lea and Perrin started their famous sauce in 1837. There are Chinese recipes for fermented fish sauce dating from 2300 years ago. Many grocery stores sell Vietnamese nuoc mam or Thai nam pla, two common Asian fish sauces. Ancient Greeks produces a sauce called garos. In ancient Rome cooks relied on garum and liquamen as kitchen staples. At the end of the blog I’ll post some links to more information on these ancient sauces.
As I was digging into Worcester sauce what surprised me the most was the existence of British fermented fish sauce much earlier than the Worcestershire variety. There were recipes as early as the 18th century for sauce such as Quin’s sauce, Reading sauce, Harvey sauce, and others. Here are just a few examples.
The Complete Family-Piece, and Country Gentleman, and Farmer's Best Guide: In Three Parts, 1737
Fish Sauce to keep the whole Year.
Take 24 Anchovies, chop them Bones and all, put to 10 Shallots, a Handful of scrap’d Horse-radish, 4 Blades of Mace, 1 Quart of Rhenish Wine, or white Wine, 1 Pint of Water, 1 Lemon cut in Slices, half a Pint of Anchovy Liquor, 1 Pint of Claret, 12 Cloves, 12 Pepper Corns; boil them together till it comes to a Quart; then strain it off into a Bottle, and two Spoonfuls will be sufficient to a Pound of melted Butter.
Culina Famulatrix Medicinae, or, Receipts in Cookery, 1804
FISH SAUCE.
A gill of mushroom pickle; a gill of walnut pickle; six anchovies pounded; two cloves of garlick; and half a tea-spoonful of Cayenne pepper. Boil all together, and bottle when cold. When used, shake the bottle, and put the required quantity into some melted butter.
The Servant's Guide And Family Manual, 1831
Quin's Sauce.
Two glasses of claret, and two of walnut pickle, with four of mushroom catsup; six pounded anchovies, with their pickle, and six shalots pounded, half a glass of soy, black and cayenne pepper. Simmer all slowly by the fire; strain, and when cold bottle for use.
The United States Practical Receipt Book, 1849
A Peculiar Sauce.
Claret or port, 1 gallon; mushroom catsup, 1 gallon; walnut pickle, 2 quarts; pounded anchovies, 2 pounds; lemon-peel, 8 ounces; eschalots (peeled and sliced), 8 ounces; scraped horse-radish, 6 ounces; black pepper, 3 ounces; cayenne, 1 ounce; celery seeds (bruised), 1 ounce; soy, 1 quart. Steep for a fortnight, then strain with expression.
Murray’s Salads and Sauces, 1884
Harvey's Vinegar. - Cut six salt anchovies into small pieces, put them into a two - quart jar; add one clove of garlic bruised, one-quarter of an ounce of chilli-Colorado, three tablespoonfuls Worcestershire sauce, and pour a quart of warm vinegar over them; stir often, and in three weeks strain into half-pint bottles. A few drops will greatly im prove fish salads. A few drops added to melted butter makes a splendid fish sauce .
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management: a Guide to Cookery In All Branches, 1906
2672.—HARVEY SAUCE.
Ingredients.—1 quart of good vinegar, 2 anchovies, 1 tablespoonful of soy, 1 tablespoon of walnut ketchup, 1 finely-chopped shallot, 1 finely-chopped clove of garlic, 1/4 of an oz. of cayenne, a few drops of cochineal.
Method.—Cut each anchovy into 3 or 4 pieces, place them in a wide-necked bottle or unglazed jar, add the shallots, garlic, and the rest of the ingredients, and cover closely. Let the jar stand for 14 days, during which time the contents must be either shaken or stirred at least once a day. At the end of this time strain into small bottles, cork them securely, and store the sauce in a cool, dry place.
For more information:
http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/readingsauce.htm
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/10/26/240237774/fish-sauce-an-ancient-roman-condiment-rises-again
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garum
https://coquinaria.nl/en/roman-fish-sauce/
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1276/fish-sauce-in-the-ancient-world/
https://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsauces.html#worcestershiresauce
https://www.legalnomads.com/fish-sauce/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_sauce
http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/harveysauce.htm
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