Matiz Flor de Garum - Premium Spanish Fish Sauce - 100ml

I am familiar with the historical Garum, although I've never tried it. I can't speak for the authenticity of this one, but the label does say they did a lot of research based on the Pompeiian ruins to get it right. I can say that it tastes very good. I would describe the taste as a sort of fishy soy sauce. If you've ever had a nice anchovy pasta, it has the same sort of flavor, but with a less pronounced fish flavor, and a stronger saltiness. Similar to soy sauce, you can pretty much use it as you would use salt. It is pretty salty. Even though the bottle suggests a serving size of 14g, about half that is already sufficient to make one meal fairly salty. Unlike salt, it also imparts a delicious umami characteristic to the dish. And of course, a slight hint of fishiness. It has a fairly strong fish odor, doesn't bother me, but my wife, who dislikes all fish, is very bothered by it. Through long experience, I have discovered that whenever my wife complains about the stinkiness of a fish, it will usually be very delicious. This sauce is no exception. However, because the bottle is just a bottle with a stopper, you have to be a little bit careful when pouring so you don't pour too much or get it dripping down the side of the bottle onto the table. I think it would definitely help if the company improved the bottle design to make it easier to pour. It is somewhat pricey at $32, but you do get a good amount of the sauce. (It was 100ml and I was surprised to find that the bottle was much bigger than pictured.) I suppose, given that it's a niche product, and imported from Spain if the label is to be believed, this isn't a wholly unreasonable price. But I wish it was cheaper so I could buy even more. It has changed my life.

My only regret is not buying it sooner. The taste is salty at first, then followed by savory with a (good) fishy aftertaste. Great with tomato dishes, and anything with rice.

This was the first time I tried Garum. It’s amazing! Absolutely delicious! I will definitely buy this again.

Be aware that 100 ml. is less than half a cup. So you are paying over $30 for that. When I purchased this, I should have done my homework before placing the order. That being said, I made some pasta with tomato sauce with the garum and it is quite delicious. So, I suppose you could justify this purchase with the thought "I should try this at least once in my life." Nonetheless, it is very expensive, because I used almost a quarter of the bottle on one dish, so it will not last long at all. It reminds me more of Nettuno Colatura Anchovy Sauce (another very expensive sauce) than Asian fish sauces, a more mellow flavor and indeed very good.

I put it in so many sauces, and sometimes just eat it on pasta without anything else. It’s incredible and a little goes a long way. My roommate hates the smell but loves the results. Best used a bit like worcestershire sauce.

Very disappointed, I expected something oily. It’s as liquid as vinegar. I wonder how a roman soldier could maintain his protein intake with such watery product. Label states 1% protein. I think they forgot to mention by how much it has been diluted with water. The taste itself is OK, light fish odor but not the rich flavor I would have expected for $30. Maybe a reason why most of us switched to Ketchup over the last 2000 years? :-)

I probably have too much fish sauce. I use it often and am frequently unable to resist temptation when I see a new brand I haven't tried. This is my favorite so far. I save it for when I want the fish sauce flavor to really shine, and use the three crabs one (no idea the brand name, it just has three crabs on the label) for day-to-day. A little goes a long way. I will be ordering this again.

Really nice umammi flavor sauce to add into cooking. To me it tastes like worstershire without the vinegar bite and not as salty. I bought this originally for a recipe from Tasting History. I'm now on my third bottle. This stuff is delicious!