3 ms·

That reminds me of the fact that the Romans used lead as a sweetener in their water, which probably didn't help them out much, either...

• mc32 7y ago
  Do you mean they did that actively (using lead as an added sweetener)or was it passively (by proxy though the vessels they used)?
  • timemct 7y ago
    Actively. IIRC, they would sweeten wine with lead.
  • kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
    Lead acetate. The original, all natural, sugar free sweetener.
  • newnewpdro 7y ago
    Lead/lead-coated vessels were used in preparation and/or storage to deliberately affect the taste.
  • JackRabbitSlim 7y ago
    They made sweet drinks by using lead vessels to store wine/vinegar with acetic acid in it. That created lead acetate; sweet and toxic. I'm sure it started accidentally but was continued because it magically turned shitty sour wine into sweet wine. A side note; we still actively use artificial sweeteners from petrochemical sources.
    • Scoundreller 7y ago
      Dunno if lead acetate is/was sweet, or the lead just scavenged the acetic acid that was making the wine bad.
      • unwind 7y ago
        Wikipedia[1] says: Lead(II) acetate (Pb(CH3COO)2), also known as lead acetate, lead diacetate, plumbous acetate, sugar of lead, lead sugar, salt of Saturn, or Goulard's powder, is a white crystalline chemical compound with a sweet taste. So clearly (?) it would add a sweet taste, regardless of how much of the acid was chemically consumed. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_acetate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_acetate