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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle

Readers reply: how did salt and pepper become the standard table seasonings?

A cruet set
A cruet set – in England, at least – once included some or all of mustard, oil and vinegar. Photograph: Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Why are salt and pepper considered the requisite table seasonings? Surely only salt is a seasoning. Wouldn’t it make just as much sense to substitute the black pepper for cumin, paprika or any other spice? Isla Weston, Lincoln

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