Sauce question

[marsvigilia]

I am by no means an expert cook. However I have been experimenting with the Asian fish sauces a bit. While the addition of sugar to the Asian sauces wouldn't appear to make a big difference, it can in certain circumstances. As I see it, the problem is that the sugar in the fish sauce has a tendency to caramelize under heat. Whether that heat is from a pan or an oven. Not a bad thing necessarily, but probably not how Roman garum would have responded to cooking.

In recipes that call for both garum and honey prior to cooking, the addition of a small amount of sugar probably has very little effect.

Again just my two asses worth.