From Garum to Mole: Sauces and Identity in the Western World

Why do certain sauces inspire loyalty, nostalgia, or even outrage? This interdisciplinary collection approaches sauces not merely as accompaniments but as artifacts that help define identity, belonging, and taste across centuries and continents. 

Bringing together historians, anthropologists, food scholars, and culinary professionals, the fifteen essays examine subjects ranging from Roman garum and medieval sauces to Italian sugo, Mexican mole, maple syrup, Sriracha, olive oil, and ketchup. Along the way, contributors explore how condiments and flavorings become entangled with questions of migration, nationalism, class, religion, and cultural memory. 

Edited by a historian and two food studies scholars, and featuring a foreword by chef Ana Roš, From Garum to Mole combines rigorous research with an accessible curiosity about everyday foods. Particularly notable are contributions from historians including Paul Freedman, Amy Bentley, Fabio Parasecoli, Jonathan Deutsch, and Jeffrey Pilcher, and others whose work has helped shape the modern field of food studies. 

Peppered with recipes and written for readers interested in culinary history as much as cooking itself, From Garum to Mole offers a thought-provoking look at some of the most influential – and often overlooked – elements of the table.

Paperback.