Drying (food)
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Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms and hinders quality decay. Drying food using sun and wind to prevent spoilage has been practised since ancient times. Water is usually removed by evaporation (air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying) but, in the case of freeze-drying, food is first frozen and then the water is removed by sublimation.
Bacteria yeasts and moulds need the water in the food to grow. Drying effectively prevents them from surviving in the food.
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[edit] Food types
Many different foods are prepared by dehydration. Good examples are meat such as prosciutto (a.k.a. Parma ham), bresaola, and beef jerky. Dried and salted reindeer meat is a traditional Sami food. First the meat is soaked / pickled in saltwater for a couple of days to guarantee the conservation of the meat. Then the meat is dried in the sun in spring when the air temperature is below zero. The dried meat can be further processed to make soup.
Fruits change character completely[clarification needed] when dried: the plum becomes a prune, the grape a raisin; figs and dates are also transformed in new, different products, that can be eaten rehydrated or not.
Drying of vegetables, fruit and even meat (to produce jerky) may be carried out by a combination of do-it-yourself practice and convenience, provided there are some very good electrical dehydrators which are a household appliance. If the user does not like to use additives as potassium metabisulphite, or BHA, BHT for meats, dried products may be hermetically shelf stored if it is to be consumed soon, or else in the refrigerator or even freezer if a long storage is to be expected. Dehydrated vegetables, often freeze dried are often found in backpackers food [1], hunters, military, etc. The exception to this rule are bulbs, such as garlic and onion, which are often dried. Also chilis are frequently dried. Edible and psilocybin mushrooms, as well as other fungi, are also sometimes dried for preservation purposes, to affect the potency of chemical components, or so they can be used as seasonings.
For centuries, much of the European diet depended on dried cod, known as salt cod or bacalhau (with salt) or stockfish (without). It formed the main protein source for the slaves on the West Indian plantations, and was a major economic force within the triangular trade. Dried shark meat, known as Hákarl, is a delicacy in Iceland.
[edit] Methods
There are many different methods for drying, each with their own advantages for particular applications; these include:
- Bed dryers
- Fluidized bed dryers
- Freeze Drying
- Shelf dryers
- Spray drying
- Sunlight
- Commercial food dehydrators
- Household oven
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