Saltpeter,now this s a weird substance,that has many uses,...as you say Sheerline,its in the paper of tailor made ciggies,to keep them burning,but its not in hand rolling papers,cause they continuously go out if you don,t keep puffing,This does,nt make self rolled any safer, but they do last longer,..but getting back to Saltpeter,..its an ingredient of Gunpowder,hence the big flash,
...but it was also used as a preservative during 15/1600,s,and it can also be used in the cooking of meat,A fiend of mine once research cooking habits from the time of Henry V111,..dd you know that he,Henry,once spent the equivalent of £1,000,000 by todays standards on one state banquet,...my mate Alfie replicated a meal that contained Saltpeter,He got a joint of beef,Topside,3kg,and injected it with Saltpeter and salt, stuck cloves around it,and kept it in the garage for 8 weeks,..why the garage you may ask,well it was the coolest place,as the recipe said that the meat had to be put in the cold store or game larder, after 8 weeks,the meat was placed in the oven and slow cooked for 4 hours,then rested for 2 When the meat was carved, we could see veins of green/blue running though the meat,...now the question, was it good,...it was delicious,..different,but delicious,
Wullie