Salt and beer Roman "mega-industries"...

[DBS]

Beer and salt among Roman 'mega-industries'

A fine demonstration by Oxford Archaeology on how to exploit media silly season.  Some of it seems perfectly reasonable, especially the salt, though I do wonder whether there is any evidence, as opposed to supposition, regarding the ovens being used for malting.

[Cantabrigian]

Well if they weren't being used for pizzas, then malting sounds more likely than "drying grain' which they give as the alternative.

[Erpingham]

I believe the idea is they needed to dry the grain for storage.  Jim, I'm sure, can explain the technicalities based on modern practice.  As to beer drinking, I think I recall the Celts were beer drinkers so why not the Romano-British? 

[Jim Webster]

Well if they weren't being used for pizzas, then malting sounds more likely than "drying grain' which they give as the alternative.

I'm not sure, a lot of grain was dried or even 'parched' in damp climates to make it easier to mill.

I found this document https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/6573/ECONOMICACTIVITIESATROCESTERSTAFFORDSHIREINTHEROMANSAXONANDMEDIEVALPERIODS%3BTHEEVIDENCEFROMTHECHARREDPLANTREMAINS

Which discusses the issue.
Even now, it's a rare summer where you don't have to dry some grain to ensure that it is dry enough even for storage

(but malting barley is a sensible use of the oven, same oven, different grain, different day :-)

[Imperial Dave]

Oooo malting barley.....

[Nick Harbud]

It all sounded pretty obvious to me and the fish sauce production is undoubtedly the origin of British tastes for tomato ketchup and vinegar on one's chips. 

Just think, without the Romans we would all be slathering mayonnaise on our fried potatoes... 

[DBS]

Just think, without the Romans we would all be slathering mayonnaise on our fried potatoes...

I must be a Belgian then; mayonnaise or salt, pepper, vinegar are the only acceptable dressings on chips.  The mayonnaise is improved further with a good dose of garlic mixed in...

[Imperial Dave]

salt and vinegar only if you please 

[DBS]

Plus, one has to account for the approximate millennium between the Romans disappearing with their garum, and the arrival of both the potato, chips for the rendering of, and the tomato, ketchup for the slathering of, to these fair shores.

Other than that, an immaculate argument from Oxford Archaeology.

EDIT - unless of course the Welsh Lost Tribe of Israel was popping back across the Atlantic with supplies of either...

[Imperial Dave]

Taters.  Gaffer's delight...

[Erpingham]

Sorry to be a bit dull, but returning to the subject of the article.  Could brewing have been a "Roman mega-industry"?  The one solid bit of evidence in the article seems to point to something similar in scale to medieval brewing.  Given the absence of good transport infrastructure and the poor keeping quality of beer, was the main scale of the industry at estate/hospitality premises level, with very local distribution?

[Nick Harbud]

You mean, were the Romans early adopters of Red Barrel?

It would certainly explain the decline and fall of the Empire.

 

[Erpingham]

You mean, were the Romans early adopters of Red Barrel?

For overseas and younger members, Red Barrel was a keg beer made by the London brewery Watneys.  It had two main faults; it was awful and Watneys attempted to acquire/assimilate lots of regional breweries and turn them into Red Barrel plants.  This led to places (e.g. Northamptonshire when I was younger) being dubbed "Watney's deserts" where there was no beer to be had, just Red Barrel.  It was an evil time  Things are much better now.

[Imperial Dave]

Ouch...

Depends how they made their beer...if high attenuated it might have survived for longer than a Loz Truss govt

[Erpingham]

Ouch...

Depends how they made their beer...if high attenuated it might have survived for longer than a Loz Truss govt

I could say something about lettuces, but that would be political and banned