Defrutum

This is a syrup made from grape juice similar to that described for the fish sauce above but it has special flavouring and needs to be much thicker. It is defined as ‘fresh must boiled down to ⅓ of its volume’. This reduction is not necessarily fixed as the sugar content of grape must can vary. What matters is the flavouring. This could be from either figs or quinces, added to the syrup while cooking. It is possible to purchase this variety of syrup in Italy and the UK today. It is known as