Delicious UK - (09)September 2020

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 21

food for thought.

Whydowebelievesuchtosh

whentherearesomanymore

interesting– andtrue– thingsto

sayaboutthepastanditsfood?

theingenuityofpastcooks,whomadeicecreamby

freezingit iniceandsalt,turningoutmouldedicesand

a rangeofflavourswecanonlydreamof.It wasn’tall

rosy,though– whilepeopleweren’tusuallydyingfrom

thewater,cooksdidsufferrespiratoryfailurefrom

charcoalstoves,andcookingwasincredibly,

dangerouslyphysical.

Weshouldn’trose-tintthepast,but

norshouldweassumeignoranceor

stupidity– sonexttimeyoucomeacross

aneveryone-knowsism,take

a momenttothinkwhether,really,

everyonemerelythinkstheyknow.

that in the past, spices were used to disguise tainted

meat. This seems to come from the lavish use of spices

in surviving recipes. But those recipes were written

down, which meant someone with the ability to write

chose – or was commissioned to – note down a list.

These were recipes for the rich. The rich didn’t eat

tainted meat. They did, however,

show their wealth by serving

dishes heady with spice, which

was expensive. Rarely are

amounts given in those recipes,

but when they are and we find

the quantities surprising, think

of the voyage the spices

underwent to reach our shores. Then consider how

much more spice you use at home when a spice is old

and no longer pungent.

Another classic is the idea that, in the past, no one

drank any water. Water was free and, unless you were

drinking from a sewer or downstream of a tannery,

largely pure. All those rooftop cisterns, wells and

standpipes on street corners were not ornamental. Ale

was better regarded, even briefly being tied in with

notions of Englishness in the late 16th century, and it

was certainly more interesting as a drink, but it wasn’t

• it couldn’t be – the choice of the impoverished majority.
  There are more... ‘Everyone knows’ no one ate any
  vegetablesinthepast– exceptforthemilesofmarket
  gardensoutsideeverycity,thekitchengardensand
  orchardsofcountryhousesandthesimplefactthat
  peopletendednottodiefromscurvyondryland.
  ‘Everyone’wasshorterduetoa poordiet,aswell,
  unlessyouconsiderskeletalanalysisrecordsfrom
  schoolsandotherinstitutionsthroughthecenturies
  andrealisetheshockingfactthatthepoorwereshort,
  buttherichwereatleastastallaswearetoday.
  Whydowechoosetobelievesuchtoshwhenthere
  aresomanymoreinteresting– andtrue– thingstosay
  aboutthepastanditsfood?Is it a senseofarrogance?
  A desiretofeelsuperiortoourancestorsandtofeel
  betteraboutourownfoodasa result?Oris it justthat
  wedon’thabituallyapplylogicwhenapparently
  ‘everyone’thinkssomethingis true?
  Whatif weweretoreplacethesespuriousfactsand
  combatthemwithalternatives,suchasthelackoffood
  wasteinthepast?Therewas,it’strue,a lotoffoodon
  thetablesofthewealthy,butnoconceptofleftovers
  asinferior.Instead,foodwoul
  bereprocessed:breadcrumbs
  puddings,peelingsintostock
  elsefailed,it wouldbefedtop
  inedibletohumans)orgiven
  poorinanorganisedsystemo
  almsgivingthatwasn’tsupers
  untilthe20thcenturywithth
  birthofthewelfarestate.
  Wecould,perhaps,celebrat

What will be the illogical statements that people in 200

years’ time make about us to help their own diets seem

just that little bit better? Here are some possibles

People in the

early 20th

century only

ate meat

Whatdoyouthink would be on the list?

We’dlovetohearyour thoughts and theories.

Writeto:[email protected]

People around the

world routinely

consumed more

plastic than

edible ingredients

in their food

Foodhadso

littlenutritional

valuethat

everyonehadto

takesupplements

MYTHS OF THE FUTURE

p

ld

i

...IIIfffaall

pigs(ifff

to hee

of

eded

e

ee

t

Children never

ate vegetables

and thought

meat came

plastic-wrapped

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