On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 23:45:56 +0000, Helen McElroy
> wrote:

>Well I know that a lot of stuff was preserved: dried fruit, salted meat
>etc. Honey and salt are both extremely good preservatives, as is
>fermentation. Hence alcohol (also kills bugs in the water), yogurt and
>cheese. Keeping things under oil also works. Our wonderful gourmet
>sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil is a very effective way to keep them for
>several months. Pickling is also worth a mention. So a huge raft of
>fresh food can have their shelf-life extended.

>The other thing about diets long ago is that they were a lot more
>seasonal. You only got fruit and veg when they were in season and grown
>locally.
>
>In victorian times the big houses had ice houses but that is the first
>refrigeration I know about in the UK.

Yes, but what did, say, the Dickens family and their neighbors eat? It
appears that 'historic' and 'traditional' recipes must have been
*severely* limited. And/or cooking and shopping a truly full-time job.

Milk can't be kept for long. Soft cheeses, too, are highly perishable.
Any sort of fresh meat, fish, or poultry. Most fresh veg, outside of
the 'root' category. There must have been a lot of dependence on
grains and beans, which can be stored for quite some time. And
'preserved' everything. No wonder spices were so prized!