patina pə-ˈtē-nə , ˈpa-tə-nə noun
1. a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal
2. the distinctive surface of something that has age or character
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The word patina has appeared in 58 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 14 in “The Hidden History Baked Into a Cooking Pot” by Katherine Kornei:
Last month in the journal Scientific Reports, a team of archaeologists and organic chemists described how they had spent a year cooking a variety of meals in clay pots and then investigating the organic residues left behind. No one got a hearty meal out of this lab work, but the researchers found that some residues traced just the last round of ingredients, while others reflected the long-term cooking history of each pot. By documenting the results of these experiments, the team hopes to help scientists reconstruct ancient culinary practices.
… One way of getting at food preferences and practices over time is to look at what’s left behind after a meal. As they are used, cooking vessels naturally build up organic residues such as charred bits, thin coatings known as patinas, and absorbed fats. The sponges and dishwashers we use today tend to eradicate these leftovers, but they are often found in and on cooking implements unearthed at archaeological sites.
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