The proverb that ' hunger is the best sauce' is, like many other proverbs, trite, and true to a certain extent, for a starving man would not ask for pepper and mustard to make his meat relish, although he probably would look for a little salt, that being Nature's own condiment, lavishly provided, and grateful alike to the palate of man and beast. Nevertheless, there are tribes of savages in various parts of the world who did not use salt until it was introduced among them by Europeans, and never felt the want of it; although many semi-civilised tribes have adopted various condiments, the most common being the betel, which is a species of pepper, universally chewed by the Malays of all ages, and by the inhabitants of almost all the East Indian islands, where it is regarded as one of the necessaries of life. Slices of the Pinang or Areca nut are wrapped in a betel leaf, previously sprinked with chunam, or quicklime, and chewed, causing the gums and lips to assume a bright red hue, and the teeth to become black. The ingredients for this indulgence are carried about everywhere - the rich possessing boxes of silver and gold, whilst the poor man has the same articles in a brass box, or mat bag - and the betel box is invariably offered to a guest, as the snuff-box used to be among ourselves.

In South America the coca plant is substituted for the betel, and is also chewed with lime, and carried about in curiously-carved boxes. In both hemispheres this custom is of immense antiquity.

Amongst ourselves the coca, in the form of cocaine, has recently come greatly into use in medicine, being of great value as a local anaesthetic; but it was first heard of in the form in which it is used in South America, the leaves being chewed for their sustaining properties. As to the betel, we seldom use it in England, its place being supplied by the pepper of commerce, which, in its three forms of peppercorns, ground black pepper, and white pepper, has become a requisite, no dish of meat, and scarcely any of vegetables, being properly seasoned without it. Many people fancy that white pepper is quite different from black, but it is in reality the same, being prepared from the black peppercorn deprived of its outer husk.

Cayenne pepper, so useful in highly-seasoned dishes, is made from the ground fruit or seed pods of different kinds of capsicums, some of which are yellow and others red, which accounts for the difference in the colour of the pepper. Next to the pungent peppers, all of foreign origin, comes the old English condiment, mustard, used for centuries as a seasoning for roast beef.*

'Good Master Mustard-seed,' says Bottom in the 'Midsummer Night's* Dream,' 'I know your patience well: that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise you, your kindred hath made my eyes water ere now.'

* Coriander seed was considered by the Romans to be like mustard, strengthening and digestive, and was used with vinegar to keep meat fresh.

This would seem to prove that mustard as a condiment for roast beef was in common use in Shakespeare's time; but it was probably used then coarsely pounded, for we are told that mustard in its present finely-powdered form, was introduced by a Mrs. Clements, of Durham, about the year 1729, and was hence known as Durham mustard. We sometimes think that a return to the old form - that is, the genuine seed coarsely pounded - would be preferable to the frequently adulterated article which now often appears at table. The French make their mustard with tarragon vinegar, which renders it more agreeable to some palates. Horse-radish is another English condiment largely consumed with the national roast beef, but accidents have from time to time occurred from the likeness of the root to the poisonous aconite or monk's-hood. The leaves of the two plants are, however, so very distinct, that they cannot be mistaken the one for the other when growing.

The adaptation of certain herbs and sauces as condiments to particular meats dates from very early times. The Paschal lamb was to be eaten with bitter herbs. What these herbs were is not definitely known, but mint, which is still the favourite condiment for lamb, was perhaps one, since we find it mentioned, with rue, and all manner of herbs, as being tithed by the Pharisees. Mint sauce and gooseberry sauce are the appropriate condiments for lamb. Red currant jelly and tomato sauce, and sometimes that very dirty-looking seaweed known as laver, are eaten with roast mutton, and caper sauce with boiled; whilst on veal we bestow a forcemeat composed of various herbs, such as thyme, parsley, marjoram, savory, basil, lemon peel, pepper, salt, a soupcon of onion and mace or nutmeg, suet, and bread crumbs - which same forcemeat we use for turkeys and other poultry. With game we serve bread sauce; whilst pork, ducks, and geese are considered properly dressed with a seasoning of sage and onions, and apple sauce.

These are the chief of old English condiments, used from time immemorial; and it is only of late years that these things have been supplemented by the highly-flavoured Indian curries and chutneys, and by a variety of piquant sauces with names sufficient to make our grandmothers' hair stand on end. Our schools of cookery have made us familiar with aspic, bechamel, consomme, maitre dhotel sauce, mayonnaise, sauce piquante, and a variety of other names which glide smoothly from the tongue of the initiated, but are meaningless to those who have not studied in the modern schools.

Nevertheless, our forefathers were as highly appreciative of spices as we are, and those who could afford them, used them perhaps more than we do. We learn from Chambers's 'Book of Days' that the arrival of a ship laden with spices ' was an event of such importance, and perhaps rarity, that the King usually hastened to satisfy his wants before the cargo was landed. Thus, in the reign of Henry III., the bailiffs of Sandwich were commanded to detain, upon their coming into port, two great ships laden with spices and precious merchandise which were exported from Bayonne, and not to allow anything to be sold until the King had had his choice of their contents.' At that time vegetables were scarce, but pot-herbs, such as parsley, mint, purslane, fennel, smallage, thyme, and hyssop, are mentioned, and also lettuce, celery, beetroot, and small white onions; some of which were eaten raw, with olive oil and spices. Thus we find that salads were in use in the fifteenth century, but are somewhat surprised to find olive oil mentioned, as even to the present day it is very little used in England, except among those who have travelled much on the Continent.