Part 2/8:

The focus of this culinary adventure is "In Mitulis" or ancient Roman mussels. The recipe is deceptively simple: it combines liquamen (an ancient fermented fish sauce), leek, cumin, passum (a type of sweet wine), savoury herbs, and white wine, all simmered with live mussels. While the basic steps seem straightforward, two key ingredients can be elusive in modern kitchens: liquamen and passum.

Ancient Ingredients: Liquamen and Passum

Liquamen became synonymous with garum by the 4th century, a fermented fish sauce that infuses dishes with umami flavors. For contemporary cooks, alternatives like Colatura Di Alici or common Asian fish sauces can mimic this ingredient's briny essence, albeit with slight differences in flavor profile.