Cuves à garum, Les Plomarc'h - Douarnenez, Finistère, FRA
N 48° 05.476 W 004° 18.763
30U E 402250 N 5327277
On the site of Plomarc'h Pella, on a cliff overlooking the bay, the remains of a vast establishment producing cured meats (garum, alec or liquamen) have been excavated and restored.
Waymark Code: WM13DNM
Location: Bretagne, France
Date Posted: 11/17/2020
Views: 4
On the Plomarc'h site, history is trodden with every step: vestiges of Gallo-Roman habitat and salting vats foreshadow the sardine epic of the 19th century. A place of heritage to delight visitors.
Exposed for in-depth research in 1994, the garum vats were restored in the early 2000s, respecting Gallo-Roman constructions.
Rubble and plaster take visitors back twenty centuries.
In Douarnenez, there is a great deal of material in terms of Gallo-Roman remains found following archaeological excavations: villa and thermal baths at Ris, or even temple at Trégouzel.
By its importance, the latter is also a good indicator of the density of the population of the time and the wealth of its sponsor.
Garum was a very expensive condiment, close to Vietnamese nuoc-mâm or pissalat from Nice. It was used by the Romans, who were very fond of it, to enhance the taste of their food. Garum was produced mainly on the Mediterranean coasts. But manufacturing sites were also found on the Atlantic coast, in Morocco, Portugal and Armorica. In Douarnenez, the northernmost site, production was particularly developed; the establishment reached full prosperity between 150 and 250.
The fish, mackerel and sardines, caught nearby, were left to macerate in large vats with salt. After several weeks of preparation, the precious liquid was obtained which was packaged in special amphorae.
The garum produced in Douarnenez was exported by boat to the island of Brittany or to the Rhine limes, probably intended to improve the ordinary legionaries.
The establishment was headed by a Roman native of Narbonne, Caius Varenius Varus, known by a dedication.
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