What could you eat in Georgian London?

You might assume that much of the food on offer to Georgian Londoners would feel pretty alien to our modern appetites. But as Peter Ross tells Lauren Good in this episode of the History Extra podcast, this is not the case. From people pocketing baked potatoes on their way home in the small hours to why jelly was considered an aphrodisiac, Peter explores what was eaten and when in London during the Georgian period. And if you want to find out even more about what people ate in past centuries, don't miss our new podcast series, History's Greatest Dishes. We've included all the details about that in the description to this episode, but for now it's over to Peter and Lauren.

Hi, Peter, thank you so much for joining me today. Hi, you're welcome. Nice to join you. Today we'll be talking about your new book, Insatiable Appetites, Eating Out in Georgian London.

I thought we could shape our discussion as you do in your book by mealtimes in the period. Can we start with before dawn? You open the first chapter with a woman called Sarah who has a prized possession stolen from her as she locks her door behind her at 1am and it's a kettle of saloupe. What was saloupe, Peter? Well saloup was a drink.

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