21. In Medieval Europe, Toilet Paper Didn’t Exist
China had toilet paper figured out as early as the 6th century, making small squares of rice paper. However, the Europeans found this to be horrifying, because they thought it was disgusting that the Chinese only wiped without actually washing their backside with water. Today, you’ll still find a lot of bidets in Europe, for those who prefer to wash over using toilet paper. However, we all know that there are moments when water isn’t going to cut it, and we need a little help. In medieval Europe, people sometimes used devices called “gomphus” or a “gomph stick”, as well as a “torche-cul” or “torchcut”. The gomph sticks were sponges on a stick, basically. It looks like something you’d use to clean a toilet, rather than a backside. The term “torche-cul” was anything used to wipe the bottom, like straw, moss, or leaves.
