Ancient Food Preservation Methods
Tyrique Moore
Mr. Payne
Technology & Society
18 January 2012
Ancient Food Preservation Methods
Food preservation is a process used to save or delay foods from spoiling. These methods have been used before the beginning of written records. There were many ways that food was stored and preserved for future use and consumption. Although the ancient people lacked technology, they still understood the realization that the food they ate needed a process to keep their food safe to eat. This paper will help you better understand the use of food preservation technology between pre-history and 500 A.D. There were many ways that food preservation was done, but this paper will only explain a few of them. This paper will explain drying, salting, freezing, fermentation, and pickling. Considering this, I also hope that you learn from it and that it will give you an interest to explore the subject in more detail. There were many ways that people preserved food in the ancient days. The first method that is going to be addressed is dried food. Drying works because it removes much of the food’s water (Science Clarified). Without adequate amounts of water, the microorganisms cannot multiply and their chemical activities begin to slow down. Due to lack of water, the food cannot spoil. According to studies, drying food in ancient days was naturally done by the sun and wind (NCHFP Publications). Due to restrictions of the time period, this process was very effective. Evidence shows that as early as 12,000 B.C, there were people actively drying foods in the blazing sun. The Romans particularly liked dried fruits, using fire to heat and dry them. Salt is another drying technique used in the earliest days, and was mostly used for fish and meat (National Historic Chemical Landmarks). Drying food has proved to be a very useful technique for keeping food safe and is still being used today. Freezing is turning a liquid into a solid. Microbe growth and chemical changes slow down
Mr. Payne
Technology & Society
18 January 2012
Ancient Food Preservation Methods
Food preservation is a process used to save or delay foods from spoiling. These methods have been used before the beginning of written records. There were many ways that food was stored and preserved for future use and consumption. Although the ancient people lacked technology, they still understood the realization that the food they ate needed a process to keep their food safe to eat. This paper will help you better understand the use of food preservation technology between pre-history and 500 A.D. There were many ways that food preservation was done, but this paper will only explain a few of them. This paper will explain drying, salting, freezing, fermentation, and pickling. Considering this, I also hope that you learn from it and that it will give you an interest to explore the subject in more detail. There were many ways that people preserved food in the ancient days. The first method that is going to be addressed is dried food. Drying works because it removes much of the food’s water (Science Clarified). Without adequate amounts of water, the microorganisms cannot multiply and their chemical activities begin to slow down. Due to lack of water, the food cannot spoil. According to studies, drying food in ancient days was naturally done by the sun and wind (NCHFP Publications). Due to restrictions of the time period, this process was very effective. Evidence shows that as early as 12,000 B.C, there were people actively drying foods in the blazing sun. The Romans particularly liked dried fruits, using fire to heat and dry them. Salt is another drying technique used in the earliest days, and was mostly used for fish and meat (National Historic Chemical Landmarks). Drying food has proved to be a very useful technique for keeping food safe and is still being used today. Freezing is turning a liquid into a solid. Microbe growth and chemical changes slow down