Humans have been preserving foods by drying, salting, and fermentation for over 5,000 years. Ironically, the demands of war have triggered the most monumental developments in food preservation techniques. Napoleon’s need for a safe and portable food supply for his armies in the late 1700s and early 1800s led to the discovery of canning.
World War II led to the development of dehydrated foods such as instant potatoes and eggs. The American Red Cross provided irradiated milk in the food packages given to prisoners of war.
The Vietnam War spurred the refinement of the process of freeze-drying, which allowed for the development of complete, lightweight foods that could be carried into the field easily and transformed into ready-to-eat meals by adding water.
Because of newer preservation techniques and advances in refrigeration and transportation, people now enjoy a wide variety of foods, including out-of-season and exotic foods from all parts of the globe, that were not available to our ancestors.
