How Was Food Stored When There Was No Refrigerator?

One of the indispensable products offered by the developing technology from the past to the present. refrigeratorskeeps our food fresh and our drinks cold. In this context, they extend the life of foods and beverages that would normally last for a short time. That’s them in our life an indispensable part it makes it happen.

Refrigerator, roughly as an idea in the 1700s started to show itself. But before these times, what methods did people use to prolong the life of their food or keep drinks cool? Let’s see together.

The drying method, which is still used today, was highly preferred to prolong the life of the food:

Of course, modern drying techniques did not exist thousands of years ago. Therefore drying in sunlight method was preferred. This prevented bacteria from multiplying in a humid environment.

Another method of food preservation dating back thousands of years: Smoking

Although it did not provide as strong protection as drying, the method of smoking also provided considerable preservation of meat and other nutrients. This method, which is still seen today, is to set the meat on fire. without contact It includes cooking with smoke. In this context, wood chips added to the fire are also added to the meat. a smoky taste adds.

Preferred freezing method mostly in cold northern countries:

We’ve seen places with freezing temperatures, at least in documentaries. People here like the work we do with our freezers today, which are in abundance. with snow and ice was doing. In this way, the dishes could be preserved for a long time.

Not everyone lives in the cold countries of the north, so those further south had to find a similar path. Thanks to this, the method of embedding appeared.

In the embedding method, the lower part of the ground is cooler than the upper part. In this way, food temperature and oxygen Since they were not exposed, their lifespan was extended.

In fact, in ancient times, people did not want anyone to approach these days to bury their food. marshes It is also known to use The advantages offered by these regions are that they are acidic, cool and less oxygenated. This is the food to last long contributes.

near the swamps lakes It was also a popular area for storing food.

First, the structures called Yakhchal, which we think were used by the Persians:

These structures were used in ancient times. refrigerator We can think of it as It is used for storing ice brought from the mountains in winter and in storage they were used. Of course, the right to access cold products to cool off during hot periods largely rested with the people in government.

Towards the 1800s, ‘ice boxes’, whose working logic was similar to Yakchal but smaller, became widespread. Since the ice used in these melts daily they had to be changed.

The method of canning that preserves food for years and is familiar to us at this time:

The roots of this method do not go back to ancient times, as we might guess. Instead of 1800’s We see it discovered early on. This method, invented by the French Nicolas Appert, 1900s has progressed considerably over the years. So, in a way, we can say that it is new compared to the others.

The history of preserving food by pickling goes back to the Mesopotamians:

Today, it is consumed because it is both delicious and healthy. picklesfood of people in this period vinegar It emerged with efforts to keep it intact for a long time by keeping it in similar acidic mixtures.

rather than wine or beer It is estimated that things with a low pH value, such as

• note: Although canning and pickling are similar in appearance, the fact that the main tool in canning is containers and acids are the leading roles in the pickling method distinguish these two from each other.

Another method used mostly in meat products is salting:

in ancient times salting method It was preferred both for the preservation of valuable nutrients and to be prepared in advance for situations such as bad harvests. From a chemical point of view, roughly salt by drying We see that it eliminates the bacteria that cause deterioration.

Method of preserving food using sugar and honey:

In this method, traces of which can be traced back to ancient times, sugar was used, similar to salting, at first. In this way dried up fruits and vegetables, mostly in honey they are hidden and their lifespan is extended.

Normally, pure sugar was used to dry fruits and vegetables, and crystal sugar was used to store them. honey too high in sugar He could do the same job.

The jugs were used to keep the water cold or hot:

There are pores left over from the construction stages on the jugs. This is the moisture expelled from here. to evaporate it causes. For example, when we want to store cold water inside, we see that a small amount of water coming out of tiny pores evaporates in hot air. This evaporation is accompanied by the heat on the test surface. to go it causes.

Both inside and cold test, so it does not exchange heat and stays cool. Of course, in this process, the water in the jug decreases somewhat due to evaporation.

The refrigerator, which started to show itself as an idea in the 1700s, early 1900s It started to be used in homes as we know it. If there is a different food preservation method that you know before this, you can share it in the comments.

resources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7