Refreshing Sweet & Sour Cucumber Salad

This is an ancient Roman cucumber salad drawn from the Apicius cookery manuscript, the oldest surviving cookbook in the Western world. The combination of sweet wine, vinegar, and liquamen (a fermented fish sauce that’s the spiritual ancestor of modern Asian fish sauce) is unmistakably Roman.

Liquamen, also called garum, is essential for authenticity. Roman cooks used it the way modern cooks use salt. Substitute Vietnamese nuoc mam or Thai nam pla, both of which are direct descendants of liquamen and provide the same salty-umami punch.

Pennyroyal is the original herb in Apicius. It’s a member of the mint family but harder to find and toxic in large quantities, so modern adaptations use regular mint instead. The flavor is similar enough that the salad keeps its character.

Asafetida adds a deep onion-garlic flavor without the harsh raw bite of either. It’s optional but worth seeking out from an Indian grocery, where it’s sold as hing. A pinch is the right amount, more and it overpowers everything.

Slice the cucumbers very thin (eighth-inch) for the best texture. Thick slices stay crunchy and don’t pick up the dressing. Thin slices wilt slightly and absorb the flavors, becoming silky.

Arrange the slices on a serving plate before pouring the dressing over them. The Roman tradition was to dress salads at the table, not in advance. Each diner would season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Kitchen Tips

• Use English or Persian cucumbers for fewer seeds and a more delicate texture.
• A sweet dessert wine like Sauternes or Moscato is the right kind. Dry wine doesn’t have enough sweetness to balance the vinegar.
• For modern palates, balance with extra honey if the dressing tastes too sharp.
• This salad doesn’t keep well. Make it just before serving for the best texture.

Variations

• Add 1 thinly sliced shallot for extra savory depth.
• Stir in a pinch of cumin or coriander for North African Roman provincial flavor.
• Sprinkle with crushed pink peppercorns for a modern color pop and gentle floral heat.