New versus old

 

                                               New versus old

 

             Now with refrigerators , fruits, vegetables, and cooked food are preserved for days and even for months. There is nothing new about trying to delay the rotting of food. It was ingeniously adopted in ancient civilizations to preserve food, extending its shelf life and ensuring survival during times of scarcity when modern facilities were not there. Salting and smoking, drying and fermenting , even utilizing natural cool storage in caves or cellars and on blocks of ice layers are among the oldest food techniques.  To cite some examples:-Many archaeological and historical evidences in ancient books point out the usage of dried meat long ago in the Middle East; Salted fish goes back to the Sumerian; Fruits were preserved in honey by the Greeks. So the purpose being the same, methods vary a little. Even now, salting, smoking , drying and fermenting processes are followed. Nothing new, but old in new disguise.