My book club is divided over the heat level in colonial cooking

We're split on if regular people used much black pepper back then. One side points to old ship logs (which list huge pepper cargoes) as proof it was common. The other argues it was a luxury item, so everyday food was pretty plain. What's your view on this?

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3 Comments

lilyross7mo ago

Big pepper cargoes on ships don't prove anything. That pepper was for rich people or trade, not for everyday cooking. Regular colonists ate plain food.

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mitchell.jesse7mo ago

Remember my buddy who does historical reenactments? He found old store ledgers showing pepper bought in ounces by regular families. Makes you wonder how plain their food really was.

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rileyfox7mo ago

My grandma had these tiny pepper shakers she said were from the 1800s, wonder if @lilyross knows how common that was.

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