Raphanus cum Liquamine

Roman radish with garum dressing, black pepper and fresh herbs: after Apicius

Origin: Rome, Italy

From the journey of Radish.

Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century CE, devoted an extended passage of his Naturalis Historia to the radish: a vegetable he clearly regarded with fascination. He documents the enormous size of Alpine radishes, the sweetness of those cultivated near Amiternum in the Apennines, and their widespread use in Roman medicine as a digestive, an emetic, and a treatment for liver complaints. The cook Apicius, whose De Re Coquinaria is the oldest substantially surviving cookbook in the western tradition (compiled in its current form around the fourth century CE), includes preparations for radishes dressed with liquamen (garum, the fermented fish sauce that was the central seasoning agent of Roman cooking), vinegar, and black pepper. This combination; sharp, salty, pungent, and acidic; sits within the characteristic Roman approach to flavour, which relied on fermented fish and vinegar where later European cooking would use salt and lemon. The Roman gustatio: the appetizer course that preceded the main meal; typically included raw vegetables, olives, eggs, and small fish preparations. Radishes were a consistent component, eaten cold to stimulate appetite and prepare the stomach. This recipe is a modern interpretation in the spirit of Apicius, substituting fish sauce (a near-identical product to Roman garum, available in every Asian supermarket) and red wine vinegar for the originals, while preserving the essential simplicity of the Roman approach.

Ingredients

Salad

400 g radishes (round red or French Breakfast), thinly sliced

Dressing

2 tbsp fish sauce (use the best quality: Red Boat, Tiparos, or a Roman-style garum if available)
2 tbsp good red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp honey (Roman cuisine regularly used honey as a balancing sweetener)

Herbs

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh rue or fresh lovage, finely chopped (optional, both were common Roman herbs)

To Serve

good crusty bread, to serve

Method

Slice the radishes as thin as you can; ideally 2mm. Place in a bowl and toss with a small pinch of salt. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain off any liquid that collects.
Make the dressing: whisk together the fish sauce, red wine vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, and honey. Taste: it should be intensely savoury and pungent, with the fish sauce providing depth and salt rather than a fishy flavour, and the vinegar providing bright acidity. The honey should barely register but rounds the sharpness.
Pour the dressing over the drained radishes and toss to coat. Add the mint and parsley. If using rue or lovage, both historically accurate Roman herbs with strong, slightly bitter flavours, add them now.
Leave to marinate for 5–10 minutes before serving; the radishes will soften slightly and absorb the dressing. Serve as a gustatio (appetizer) with bread.

Notes

Colatura di Alici, the Italian anchovy sauce from Cetara in the Amalfi region, is the closest modern equivalent to Roman garum and is available from Italian delicatessens and online. If unavailable, any high-quality fish sauce works well. The honey is essential: Roman cooking regularly balanced salty and acidic flavours with a small measure of honey, in a technique that anticipated the sweet-savoury combinations of East Asian cooking. Fresh rue (Ruta graveolens) was common in Roman gardens; it is a potent herb and should be used very sparingly.

The Gastrographer

Name: Raphanus cum Liquamine
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 400 g radishes (round red or French Breakfast), thinly sliced; 2 tbsp fish sauce (use the best quality: Red Boat, Tiparos, or a Roman-style garum if available); 2 tbsp good red wine vinegar; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper; 1 tsp honey (Roman cuisine regularly used honey as a balancing sweetener); 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn; 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp fresh rue or fresh lovage, finely chopped (optional, both were common Roman herbs); good crusty bread, to serve

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control