Savor the Past! 👅

Food preservation methods from past to present and history's influence on food. ~For all food lovers and historians out there~

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Generally, the basic processes to store food have not changed drastically over time. They have only become mechanised and chemicalized via the use of machines and preservatives respectively. This is mainly due to the progress of technology and science. ⚗💡🍣

We feel such changes are inevitable especially over such large spans of time. As the saying goes, “Change is the only constant”! 🤓🔃📈 Food preservation has remained a “need” due to increasing global population and demands for a variety of food. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⬆️

Sadly this post marks the end of our food journals. 😔 We hope you have learnt much about the different types of food preservation and found our posts uniquely informative! 📑📚 Do like, share and comment! ☺️❤️🗣

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As canning is a much newer process, the major changes are mostly in the materials used, cost of production, and efficiency of the machinery. 💰⛓

Sanitation is the most important factor in canning and here is how to perform the simple but dangerous task of Canning! (Do not try this at home!) 🙅🏻

1. Fill a tin can or glass jar with food and water. 2. Seal the container and heat it under steam pressure. (This is said to destroy microorganisms that could potentially spoil the food 🚫). 3. When the can is removed from the pressure subsequently, the air inside the can compresses and seals the can. 4. Your food can then be opened for consumption years down the road without any worry of it spoiling! 🍴😛

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Canning is the newest food preservation method and has been an important tool in storing food for prolonged periods of time. 🕰 Fun fact: “A can of food left by Sir John Franklin in the Arctic in 1845 was found to still be edible in 1939” 😮😱

Canning was created by Nicholas Appert in 1810 but its benefits and utility was not felt immediately. It was only 50 years later that the information got passed around by word of mouth! 👄 Canned food was then considered a novelty for years before it started being used for war supplies. ⚔🛡🍲🍱

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Canning is the last method in our food preservation journey. 😪 We have indeed come a longgg way from where we first began!

Anyways, canning nicely sums up everything we have talked about thus far in our posts. For safe food preservation, canning has been employed for numerous foods. Many things are canned after they are dried or pickled etc. Just look at the rows of cans that line the supermarkets today! 👀

How do you think we have traversed so far and made such a view possible? #foodforthought

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As there aren’t many differences from the past to the present for jam and jelly processes, we would like to direct you to an interactive video clip instead! 🎥 To all budding cooks and wannabe chefs, this might just spark your interest! To everyone else, this can serve as a source of inspiration to try something greater in the future! 😆 HAHA! Do click play to learn more about jam making at home! 🏡 What’s next you ask? A pretty modern preservation method! 🔬 Sadly, it's going to be the last method we'll be touching on. ☹️ Hope you like our posts so far! Do feel free to comment, like and share! 😁

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Jam and jelly started out in Middle Eastern Countries by the Crusaders, who then introduced it to Europe. Sugar cane was prevalent and was later used in making jam and jelly.🎍 So… just how does jam and jelly differ?🙇🏻 One clear and obvious difference would be the ingredients used. Jam is made using crushed fruits and sugar while jelly uses fruit juice, sugar and acid.🚫☣ To make jelly, one needs to sieve out the correct proportion of sugar and fruit juice. To make jam, on the other hand, a mixture of fruits and sugar had to be cooked till it formed a thick and dense puree. 🍵

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In ancient times, preservation methods sometimes involved placing fruits in honey/sugar, drying them and placing them in jars.⚱ Preserving of the jams and jelly is possible because of the acidity levels in fruits. The acidity helps to prevent the growth of a type of bacteria called botulism. Types of jams and jelly differ based on the fruits used, the proportion of the ingredients and the way it is cooked.🍇🍎🍓 How are jams made differently from jellies? 🍮 Find out in our next post! 😉😋

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Pickling came about around 4000 years ago (2030 BC) originating from Indian cucumbers in the Tigris Valley. Pickles had to be stored properly in appropriate containers as it reacts with certain materials. The main materials used were glass or stoneware as pickles reacted and dissolved metals in pots. Such contamination could cause serious health problems and as such proper packaging is emphasized till today.

⚱🏺 Had enough of the spicy stuff? Not to worry, our following posts will be taking a sweeter turn! 🍬🍭

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Pickling can be used for a variety of food to enhance or obtain certain flavours and preserve them for consumption all year round. There are two different kinds of pickling. ✌🏻 The first involves pickles soaked in vinegar while another form is that soaked in salt brine to encourage fermentation as in the case of Kimchi.

Did you know? 😳🐟

Ketchup used to be an oriental fish brine that was transported along the spice route. Sugar was only added to it when it reached America. 🇺🇸

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So what exactly is pickling?🌶 I'm sure most Asians would have tasted cut cucumber and chilli in vinegar and the likes. As you may have guessed, pickling involves the use of vinegar or acidic liquids to store food. Did you know? Pickling had medicinal properties and beauty benefits and as such was consumed and promoted by historical figures such as Aristotle, Queen Elizabeth, Cleopatra and even Julius Caesar! 👑👸🏼 Hence, it is no wonder that pickling became a famous and widely used method of storage. 😋🍶

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Fermentation has remained somewhat similar through the ages. Industrialization has resulted in the use of controlled conditions especially so when producing in bulk. This helps ferment food in the shortest amount of time by using optimal temperatures and pressure etc. ⏱🎛💯

As seen in the picture above, fermentation is also conducted at a much larger scale nowadays due to high demands and globalisation. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Do comment, like and share our posts if you like them! 😊 Watch out for the next few posts, it is about to get real spicy!! 😜🌶

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Fermentation is regarded as an efficient method as it conserves energy, increases shelf life and decreases the need for other food preservation methods. Fermenting is a method that has gained popularity in all parts of the world and has significantly changed the dietary needs of people. 🍱🍴🍸 For instance, some of the most common things fermented till today are fruits to produce wine and cabbage to make kimchi. Kimchi has become such an integral part of Korean culture over time that they even have a Kimchi Museum dedicated to it! 🏛😱

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And….we’re back! With a preservation method that makes many things we love - Fermentation! Unlike some preservation techniques, fermentation was discovered by chance through observation. Yeast and other chemicals aid in the process of fermentation.

Did you know?

Beer was treated as a gift from the Gods as the beer was believed to be nutritious and the alcohol tasted divine to ancient man. Perhaps, that explains why beer serves as one of the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world!🍺🤗

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Freezing was revolutionized when mechanical refrigeration was invented in the 1800s. It was the first form of refrigeration to be used in freezing and refrigeration lines. The type of food product influences which preservation technique should be used.🍛🍝

Freezing is preferred by many producers and exporters as it has the shortest processing time. Although it requires much energy for the process, the overall cost is as low or even lower than other preservation practices.🔋🔌

That’s about it for freezing, for now. What’s next you ask?

Something that takes time; years even! ⏰

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Even before Gelato came to be known in 16th Century B.C., origins of it date back to 3,000 BC when people started consuming crushed ice with flavorings. It then grew from being merely a form of drink to being a customary part of Pharaohs when welcoming guests. In the late 1500s,Bernardo Buontalenti made a frozen dessert called gelato and it became popularized all over Europe by Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. 🍧

It is fascinating to note that unlike ice-cream which requires a lower temperature, the storage freezers which hold gelato are kept a few degrees warmer.🎚

To find out more about how freezing changed over time, stay tuned! 📡

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Top picture : Inuit (Eskimo) families laying out frozen, matured walrus meat in the ice to distribute among themselves; a common scene in Arctic regions.🌨❄️

Bottom picture : Taken by Veena & Anjana

This method of preservation is something we are extremely familiar with and even practice in our homes - Freezing!

For freezing to be done, sub-zero temperatures had to be present in that region. Americans used “iceboxes” in the past to store food or produce in the past. This served as a traditional version of a refrigerator or freezer!

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With advancements in technology, drying is no longer a process that is restricted to the outdoors and subject to the amount of sunlight one receives. Drying has evolved and given birth to many different types; from sun-drying to equipment drying to solar drying and pasteurization. Watch the process of fruit drying and pay close attention to the processes as well as the machinery used!

Learnt something you didn’t know of? We hope so! ☺️ Our next post will tell you more about another preservation method.

❄️ *shivers* ❄️

Any guesses on what it is? 😏