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Period: 12,500 BCE to 500 BCE
Use of Preservation Methods
Methods to preserve fruits, meats, and fish were used. -
Period: 12,000 BCE to 500 BCE
Drying
Fruits, meats and fish were dried out in order to make them last for longer periods of time. Was used by Middle East and Oriental cultures. -
Period: 7000 BCE to 500 BCE
Fermentation
The process of using time to age foods, such as bread, beer, and wine. -
Period: 3000 BCE to 500 BCE
Freezing
Food was stored underground or in the snow for preservation throughout the winter. The Chinese used this to preserve food in ice cellars. This also led to "ice houses" or "ice boxes" being made and used until the 1800's when artificial refrigeration was invented. -
Period: 2400 BCE to 500 BCE
Pickling
Pickling is a form of fermentation, where you preserve foods in vinegar produced by starches or sugars. Pickling may have originated when food was placed into wine or beer to preserve it. It is also believed that the Indians were the ones to create this method. -
Period: 1900 BCE to 500 BCE
Sugaring
Preserves food by coating them in honey or sugar. The sugar sweetens the food but also draws out the water from harmful bacteria, which destroys them. This technique was mastered by the ancient Greeks and Romans. -
Period: 600 BCE to 500 BCE
Salting and Curing
Preservation of meats and fish by using salt to cure them. -
Period: to
Canning
Involves putting food into cans and heating and cooling them. Heating the cans up destroys harmful bacteria, while cooling it back down creates a vacuum seal that prevents contamination and deterioration. This was invented by Nicolas Appert of France.