THIS OR THAT: EXOTIC ROMAN FOOD · Summer 2026 · Torch: U.S.
25
"I love that delicious fermented fish sauce."
Sean Gupta
Miramonte High School, California
"Garum was used in Roman times as a way to make foods salty and was used in almost every dish! It was a key staple to Roman culture (and many mass-produced this), but also seems very similar to Asian fish sauces, which makes me very interested in this food!"
Priscilla Wang
Fairbanks BEST Homeschool, Alaska
"Since flamingos get their pink color form the shrimp they eat, I wonder if they would taste like shrimp from how much they eat."
Gabe Callies
Brookfield East High School, Wisconsin
"Maybe it tastes like cow tongue."
Helen Qin
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
"Sorry, I don't have an exotic pallet. I can barely eat sushi or other seafood, and I can only eat beef, pork, or chicken; anything else will make me sick before I even tried it! I figure that I would not do well at elegant Ancient Roman parties."
Naomi Choe
Fairbanks BEST Homeschool, Alaska
"I LOVE EEL SAUCEEE!!! Isn’t Garum just eel sauce in a different font?"
Elizabeth Xu
Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Louisiana
"Hot take: everyone loves sauce. Whether it be ketchup, mayo, buffalo, mustard, or dressings (salad sauce), we use a lot of sauce in our daily lives. I think the main reason I say garum is the best option is that we have had the same set of sauces for a while. It’s time to spice things up, or, shall I say, fish things up."
Ronni Phillips
Greenhill School, Texas