Dried Food Preservation

Dried Food Preservation 

Drying is the preservation of food by the process of removing its water, which effectively inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Bacteria and molds need approximately a 15 percent moisture level to survive, while yeast needs at least a 20 percent moisture content. Once dried, the food can be eaten as it, or, unlike microorganisms, be rehydrated (have water added), which changes its size, color, flavor, and texture.

Sun Drying

The drying process relies on some form of heat to evaporate the water, and the hotter the environment surrounding the food, the faster the rate of evaporation. The sun provided the heat for evaporation for many centuries, and continues to do so in various countries around the world. Many early cultures subsisted throughout the year on naturally dry foods such as nuts, grains and dried legumes; the discovery that fruits, vegetables, and meats could be dried in the sun was a natural extension of these practice.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics show fish being dried in the sun, and tribes along the Nile buried fruits and meats just under the surface of the hot dessert sands to dry before storing them in earthenware containers. More than 3,000 years ago, the Incas were sun-drying foods available in abundance in summer to provide nourishment throughout their harsh winters. The Bible records that grapes and figs were dried, and Marco Polo observed that the Mongols consumed a sun-dried milk product to fuel them in their military conquests. The firtst food exported from the American colonies to England was sun-dried fish.