INTRODUCTION

In most kitchens there is a cupboard or shelf where the cook stores basic ingredients for which there is a regular need but which, for various reasons, do not have to be regularly brought in as fresh produce. Most modern British kitchens will have salt, sugar, cooking oil, and possibly a range of proprietary sauces such as tomato ketchup or brown sauce. This chapter looks at this category of food in the Romano-British kitchen.

SALT

Sodium is vital for life as without it cells become dehydrated. As sodium is continually lost through bodily functions such as sweating, it has to replaced by what we eat. People who mainly exist on a carnivorous diet can acquire the sodium they need from meat and blood. People who eat a diet with a higher proportion of plant food need to add salt (sodium chloride) to their diet.

During the late Iron Age and Roman period, salt was needed in large quantities, both as a condiment and to preserve food. It was produced by evaporation. Many salterns were to be found in areas such as the Fenland, and the coasts of Essex, Kent and the southern counties. The manufacturing process involved trapping seawater, which has a salt content of about 3%, in shallow ponds and tanks. As the water gradually evaporated by the action of the sun and wind, a brine was produced.