According to National Center for Home Food Preservation: Food starts to spoil from the time it harvests. Since the beginning of life, humans have needed protocols to survive. They had to be creative and outstanding to stand up in the societies. Ancient cultures had limited survival resources as they used to hunt or harvest. In that condition, they had to rely on preservation techniques that allowed man to think and plan and create a source of food supply. It is essential for survival and for the communities to establish their roots in that place.
What is Food Preservation?
Food Preservation includes several techniques used to apply from the harvesting or slaughtering time to prevent entire food from microbial activities; sun drying and refrigeration are old techniques, while canning, pasteurization, freezing, and the use of chemicals are some modern techniques.
Why do We Preserve Food?
Everyone knows about the importance and increasing demand for food necessary to survive. Food wasted every year is beyond the limit. According to an estimated overview, India wastes 67 million tons of food annually, which is approximately cost equal to 92,000 crores.
On the other hand, this amount of food is enough to feed the people of Bihar for a year. So, there is necessary to save food to feed the people facing food-related challenges and protect food from spoilage.
9 Methods of Food Preservation
Ancient people with limited resources used different methods to save food from microbial activities and, for some time to stay alive.
Drying
In ancient times, dehydration techniques, including sun-drying or wind drying used to prevent meat. Older adults utilize the sun’s light or get an advantage from wind-drying eatables. In tropical areas where no sunlight comes, people built specific houses to store food and burn fires to dehydrate different vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Curing
Curing is one of the dehydration techniques in which ancient people used salt to preserve meat and seafood. It not only nourishes the entire food but also prevents it against pathogens that need moisture to survive.
Cooling
In Ancient times man used to preserve food products by putting the food under water or inside cool caves. Cooling helps against contamination and stops enzymatic activities that can cause food spoilage.
Over the centuries, refrigerators came in the form of ice boxes and root cellars. People did their ice cuttings and saved their food. Today an easy refrigeration system arrives, easy to handle and use. Food is preserved there and remains fresh for a while. It is much helpful in summer.
Freezing
In regions with too cold a climate, freezing is the best method to preserve food. People used to protect food by using ice. They construct iceboxes and Icehouses for this purpose. They buried the food under the snow where microbial activity is too slow to damage it.
Fermenting
Fermentation is one of the most influential and valuable methods of dehydration. This technique uses microorganisms to destroy active pathogens that create spoilage. The formation of acid and alcohol during the process of fermentation produces vitamins that are enough to nourish the entire food.
Pickling
It is pickling, a form of fermentation that includes vinegar. The activity of starches or sugars produces that. Pickling may have its origin when eatables preserve in wine or beer. It’s believed that more than 3,000 years ago, Indians were the first who make cucumber pickle in Asia.
Sugaring
The preservation of food in honey or sugar is known as sugaring. It not only gives sweetness but also removes extra water from pathogens and makes them dehydrate and unable to grow. The ancient Romans and Greeks used the technique of heating sugar and fruit pectin. We call them jams, jellies, and preservatives in the modern era.
Canning
Step back to the 1790s; canning was the best method to preserve food. Food remains in jars or cans, providing heating or cooling effects. Heating destroys the activity of pathogens, while cooling creates a vacuum seal to prevent contamination and deterioration.
Burial
It seems to be very unreal that burying food under the soil or sand, but ancient people did this to save food and considered it a part of the fermentation.
In soil with zero light, zero oxygen, a cool temperature, the pH level, and siccative is enough to preserve the food under the ground. The Chinese created century eggs by placing them in alkaline mud. This cause the fermentation of eggs and the breakdown of proteins and fats, which then turn the eggs into a delicious flavor. In the early U.S, during autumn, cabbage is buried for preservation.
On the other hand, they buried meat in hot coals or ashes. The heat of coals kills microorganisms, and the ash drier prevents the air and contamination.
Summary
Preserving food is essential for better and healthy survival on earth. In every century, with the advancement of time, dehydration, fermentation, and all other methods of preserving food can be changed with the arrival of new technology. Some historians also believe that saving food is a part of the culture. On many occasions, people use preserved food considered in religious meanings. In cities, most people rely on preserved food with expiry labels.
Just look at these recommended food dehydrators; Best Food Dehydrators
Sources
britannica.com/technology/pasteurization
britannica.com/topic/canning-food-processing
dryfoodcraze.com/category/best-food-dehydrator/
5 thoughts on “What Food Preservation Techniques used by Ancient People?”
Good efforts to summarise preservation methods in a single blog.
Very well written. You’ve explained it better. Great job 👌
Wonderful information
Worth reading