Middle Ages Food Preservation

Middle Ages Food Preservation

  • Interesting Facts and information about Middle Ages Food Preservation
  • Foods, Cooking and recipes
  • Middle Ages Food Preservation
  • Cooking and Foods during the Medieval era

Middle Ages Food Preservation
It was important for the Medieval people of the Middle Ages to preserve food in the summer to be eaten during during the winter months. Foods which could not be preserved were only eaten when they were in season. It was not economic to keep and feed animals during the winter so animals were slaughtered in the autumn. The meat during the Middle Ages was preserved in salt. Some historians believe that pepper was also used in food preservation during the Middle Ages, however pepper was even more expensive than salt that its use for such a purpose must have been extremely limited.

   
  

Middle Ages Food Preservation

Interesting Facts and Information about Medieval Foods

The use of Salt in Middle Ages Food Preservation
There were two methods of food preservation using salt as a preservative. Dry-salting where the meat or fish was buried in salt and brine-curing where meat was soaked in salt water. Each year households prepared tubs of a thick saline bath and undertook to preserve fresh meats for the coming winter. The problem was that any food preserved in salt had a constant salt taste. Methods were therefore introduced to disguise the salty taste. Spices form the East were added to cooking recipes. These spices included Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Ginger, Saffron, Cardamom, Coriander, Cumin, Garlic, Turmeric, Mace, Anise, Caraway and Mustard. Food was also served with a variety of sauces which also disguised the salt taste. Salted meats and fish were generally rinsed in several changes of liquid before they were added to a dish.

Methods and Techniques of Middle Ages Food Preservation - Pickling, Gelatine, Smoking
There were several other methods used during the process of Medieval food preservation:

  • Pickling - Pickling in a salt brine was the standard method of preserving meats and fish. Typical pickling agents included brine (high in salt) and vinegar
  • Gelatine - Jelly or gelatine was used for preserving cooked meat or fresh fish. Food may be preserved by cooking in a material, such as gelatine, that solidifies to form a gel. Some foods naturally form a protein gel when cooked such as eels
  • Smoked Food - Wood smoked food was a method use to preserve pork or fish
  • Drying - Most meats and fruit can be preserved through the drying process. Drying is also the normal means of preservation for cereal grains such as wheat, oats, barley and rye.
  • Candies - Fruits & nuts could be candied in order to prolong their life
  • Honey - Was used a preservative in mead

Principle of Middle Ages Food Preservation
The principle of food preservation was to treat food in such a way as to safely stop, or slow down, the spoilage of  food. The preservation methods require the food to be sealed after treatment.

Middle Ages Food Preservation
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about Medieval times including Middle Ages Food Preservation. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!

Middle Ages Food Preservation

  • Interesting Facts and information about Middle Ages Food Preservation
  • Foods, Cooking and recipes
  • Middle Ages Food Preservation
  • Cooking and Foods during the Medie
  • val era
  • Life in the Middle Ages

Middle Ages Food Preservation

Middle Ages Food Preservation - Information about Middle Ages Food - Foods - Middle Ages Food Facts - Middle Ages Food Info - Middle Ages Period era - Middle Ages Period Life - Middle Ages Period Times - Life - Middle Ages Food Preservation - Middle Ages Food History - Information about Middle Ages Food - Middle Ages Food Facts - Foods - Middle Ages Food Info - Middle Ages Food Preservation -  Cooking food in the Middle Ages - Dark Ages Foods - Medieval Food - Middle Ages Food Recipes - Food from the Middle Ages - Foods - Food for a Middle Ages King - Food and Reciepes of the Middle Ages - Middle Ages Food Preservation - Written By Linda Alchin