Condiments! The Exciting Story of Our Best Friends (And Worst Nightmare)

“During the long decline and transformation of the Roman Empire, condiments entered into a dark age of their own. Roman roads, and more importantly, the Roman view on trade, spread the building blocks of condiments across Europe. Salt, sugar, and vinegar are all processed goods, and the collapse of the system that had processed them so effectively — and hastened their safe movement — left Europe without the infrastructure to make condiments, even if they had wanted to. The West was left without the vast machine that had sustained the fish sauce and vinegar industries; condiment usage retreated east to the chutney of India and the soy and fish sauce of China and Southeast Asia.” What’s all this, you ask? Only the greatest thing you’ll read all day, a very brief history of condiments since ancient Rome. It’s PART ONE in a SERIES! (via)