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© Shutterstock
0 / 27 Fotos
Drying foods to preserve them
- It's understood that moisture allows for the rapid microbiological growth of bacteria, which is present in fresh food. Therefore, it's understandable why drying food is one of the oldest methods of preserving it.
© Shutterstock
1 / 27 Fotos
A popular method
- Drying was used to preserve all sorts of foods, such as grains like rye and wheat. These were dried in the sun or air before being stored away.
© Shutterstock
2 / 27 Fotos
Dried fruit
- Fruits were sun-dried in warmer climes and oven-dried in cooler regions.
© Shutterstock
3 / 27 Fotos
Dried cod
- In Scandinavia, where temperatures dropped to freezing temperatures, cod fish were dried out in the cold air.
© Shutterstock
4 / 27 Fotos
Dried meat
- Meat could also be preserved through drying. The method involved first cutting it into thin stripes, and then lightly salting it.
© Shutterstock
5 / 27 Fotos
The process
- In warmer regions, one could simply dry meat under the hot summer sun. But in cooler climates, air drying could be done at most times of the year, either outdoors or in shelters.
© Shutterstock
6 / 27 Fotos
Salting
- Salting was the most common way to preserve food, as it drew out the moisture and killed the bacteria. It was also used in conjunction with other methods, such as drying and smoking.
© Shutterstock
7 / 27 Fotos
Salting
- One method of salting meat was by pressing dry salt into it, then layering the pieces in a container with further salt. If the meat was preserved like this in cold weather, it could last for years. Vegetables and herb mixtures were also preserved by layering them in salt and placing them in a sealable container.
© Shutterstock
8 / 27 Fotos
Keeping food in salt brines
- While not effective in the long term, preserving food in a salt brine was also a used method. It kept food edible through a season or two.
© Shutterstock
9 / 27 Fotos
Cooking with salted food
- The first thing a cook did when he prepared the salted food for consumption was to soak it in fresh water. But no matter how much soaking was done, it was next to impossible to remove all the salt.
© Shutterstock
10 / 27 Fotos
Pickling foods
- Pickling fresh vegetables and other foods was a common practice in medieval Europe. Not only would this method preserve fresh food for months, but it would also infuse it with strong flavors.
© Shutterstock
11 / 27 Fotos
The pickling process
- The simplest pickling was done with water, salt, and some herbs. Vinegar and lemon were also popular additions for a range of pickling flavors.
© Shutterstock
12 / 27 Fotos
Pickle magic
- Once the food had been thoroughly infused by the pickling solution, it was placed in a jar or another container, with the juice in which it had marinated.
© Shutterstock
13 / 27 Fotos
Smoking meat and fish
- Smoking was another common way to preserve meat, especially fish and pork. In this method, the meat would be soaked in salt and then hung over a fire to absorb the smoke flavoring as it slowly dried.
© Shutterstock
14 / 27 Fotos
Smoking meat and fish
- Salt was helpful because it discouraged flies, prevented the growth of bacteria, and hastened the removal of moisture.
© Shutterstock
15 / 27 Fotos
Sweet preserves
- Fruits were often dried, but another method of preserving them past their season was to seal them in honey.
© Shutterstock
16 / 27 Fotos
Sweet like honey
- Used as a preservative for thousands of years, honey wasn't limited to preserving fruit. Sometimes meats were also stored in honey.
© Shutterstock
17 / 27 Fotos
Confits
- While today confits can sometimes refer to a type of fruit preserve, in the Middle Ages it was meat cooked in its fat. Confits were mostly made from duck or pork.
© Shutterstock
18 / 27 Fotos
Making confits
- To make confits, the meat was salted and cooked for a very long time in its own fat. It was then cooled, sealed up, and stored in a cool place. Confits could last for months.
© Shutterstock
19 / 27 Fotos
Fermentation
- Most methods of food preservation involved stopping or slowing down the process of decay. However, fermentation accelerates it.
© Shutterstock
20 / 27 Fotos
Alcohol
- The most common product of fermentation was alcohol. Like today, wine was fermented from grapes, mead from honey, and beer from grain.
© Shutterstock
21 / 27 Fotos
Cider
- Cider was fermented from apples and pears. And the Anglo-Saxons made a drink called "perry" from fermented pears.
© Shutterstock
22 / 27 Fotos
Cheese
- Another product of fermentation is cheese. But while cow's milk could be used, sheep and goat's milk was more common during the Middle Ages.
© Shutterstock
23 / 27 Fotos
Freezing and cooling
- As the weather of most parts of Europe was pretty temperate during the Middle Ages, freezing wasn't a common method of preserving foods.
© Shutterstock
24 / 27 Fotos
The cold North
- During cold winters, freezing was sometimes available in northern regions. In castles and large homes, cellars were used to keep foods packed in winter ice. They were kept preserved this way through the cooler spring months and into the summer.
© Shutterstock
25 / 27 Fotos
Ice rooms
- Supplying an ice room with ice was labor-intensive work, so not particularly common. More common was the use of underground rooms to keep foods cool and lasting. Sources: (ThoughtCo.) (Discover Magazine) See also: What was the average diet like in medieval Europe?
© Shutterstock
26 / 27 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 27 Fotos
Drying foods to preserve them
- It's understood that moisture allows for the rapid microbiological growth of bacteria, which is present in fresh food. Therefore, it's understandable why drying food is one of the oldest methods of preserving it.
© Shutterstock
1 / 27 Fotos
A popular method
- Drying was used to preserve all sorts of foods, such as grains like rye and wheat. These were dried in the sun or air before being stored away.
© Shutterstock
2 / 27 Fotos
Dried fruit
- Fruits were sun-dried in warmer climes and oven-dried in cooler regions.
© Shutterstock
3 / 27 Fotos
Dried cod
- In Scandinavia, where temperatures dropped to freezing temperatures, cod fish were dried out in the cold air.
© Shutterstock
4 / 27 Fotos
Dried meat
- Meat could also be preserved through drying. The method involved first cutting it into thin stripes, and then lightly salting it.
© Shutterstock
5 / 27 Fotos
The process
- In warmer regions, one could simply dry meat under the hot summer sun. But in cooler climates, air drying could be done at most times of the year, either outdoors or in shelters.
© Shutterstock
6 / 27 Fotos
Salting
- Salting was the most common way to preserve food, as it drew out the moisture and killed the bacteria. It was also used in conjunction with other methods, such as drying and smoking.
© Shutterstock
7 / 27 Fotos
Salting
- One method of salting meat was by pressing dry salt into it, then layering the pieces in a container with further salt. If the meat was preserved like this in cold weather, it could last for years. Vegetables and herb mixtures were also preserved by layering them in salt and placing them in a sealable container.
© Shutterstock
8 / 27 Fotos
Keeping food in salt brines
- While not effective in the long term, preserving food in a salt brine was also a used method. It kept food edible through a season or two.
© Shutterstock
9 / 27 Fotos
Cooking with salted food
- The first thing a cook did when he prepared the salted food for consumption was to soak it in fresh water. But no matter how much soaking was done, it was next to impossible to remove all the salt.
© Shutterstock
10 / 27 Fotos
Pickling foods
- Pickling fresh vegetables and other foods was a common practice in medieval Europe. Not only would this method preserve fresh food for months, but it would also infuse it with strong flavors.
© Shutterstock
11 / 27 Fotos
The pickling process
- The simplest pickling was done with water, salt, and some herbs. Vinegar and lemon were also popular additions for a range of pickling flavors.
© Shutterstock
12 / 27 Fotos
Pickle magic
- Once the food had been thoroughly infused by the pickling solution, it was placed in a jar or another container, with the juice in which it had marinated.
© Shutterstock
13 / 27 Fotos
Smoking meat and fish
- Smoking was another common way to preserve meat, especially fish and pork. In this method, the meat would be soaked in salt and then hung over a fire to absorb the smoke flavoring as it slowly dried.
© Shutterstock
14 / 27 Fotos
Smoking meat and fish
- Salt was helpful because it discouraged flies, prevented the growth of bacteria, and hastened the removal of moisture.
© Shutterstock
15 / 27 Fotos
Sweet preserves
- Fruits were often dried, but another method of preserving them past their season was to seal them in honey.
© Shutterstock
16 / 27 Fotos
Sweet like honey
- Used as a preservative for thousands of years, honey wasn't limited to preserving fruit. Sometimes meats were also stored in honey.
© Shutterstock
17 / 27 Fotos
Confits
- While today confits can sometimes refer to a type of fruit preserve, in the Middle Ages it was meat cooked in its fat. Confits were mostly made from duck or pork.
© Shutterstock
18 / 27 Fotos
Making confits
- To make confits, the meat was salted and cooked for a very long time in its own fat. It was then cooled, sealed up, and stored in a cool place. Confits could last for months.
© Shutterstock
19 / 27 Fotos
Fermentation
- Most methods of food preservation involved stopping or slowing down the process of decay. However, fermentation accelerates it.
© Shutterstock
20 / 27 Fotos
Alcohol
- The most common product of fermentation was alcohol. Like today, wine was fermented from grapes, mead from honey, and beer from grain.
© Shutterstock
21 / 27 Fotos
Cider
- Cider was fermented from apples and pears. And the Anglo-Saxons made a drink called "perry" from fermented pears.
© Shutterstock
22 / 27 Fotos
Cheese
- Another product of fermentation is cheese. But while cow's milk could be used, sheep and goat's milk was more common during the Middle Ages.
© Shutterstock
23 / 27 Fotos
Freezing and cooling
- As the weather of most parts of Europe was pretty temperate during the Middle Ages, freezing wasn't a common method of preserving foods.
© Shutterstock
24 / 27 Fotos
The cold North
- During cold winters, freezing was sometimes available in northern regions. In castles and large homes, cellars were used to keep foods packed in winter ice. They were kept preserved this way through the cooler spring months and into the summer.
© Shutterstock
25 / 27 Fotos
Ice rooms
- Supplying an ice room with ice was labor-intensive work, so not particularly common. More common was the use of underground rooms to keep foods cool and lasting. Sources: (ThoughtCo.) (Discover Magazine) See also: What was the average diet like in medieval Europe?
© Shutterstock
26 / 27 Fotos
The incredible ways food was preserved during the Middle Ages
These methods kept food fresh long before refrigeration existed
© Shutterstock
For centuries, people all over the world have used a variety of methods to preserve foods for later consumption. The Middle Ages were no different. A largely agrarian society, they had to store their food against threats like drought, famine, and warfare. On top of that, certain methods of food preservation also offered particular flavors. Then there was also the idea of keeping food in a way that it would be easier for soldiers, merchants, and pilgrims to transport it. How the food was preserved depended on what it was, and the particular desired effect.
Want to learn more? Then click on to discover the food preservation methods used in medieval Europe.
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