Food drying

rows of fish hang from string, drying in the Sun
Flattened fish drying in the Sun in Madagascar. Fish are preserved through such traditional methods as drying, smoking, and salting.[1]
A whole potato, sliced pieces (right), and dried sliced pieces (left), 1943

Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since ancient times; the earliest known practice is 12,000 B.C. by inhabitants of the modern Asian and Middle Eastern regions.[2] Water is traditionally removed through evaporation by using methods such as air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying, although today electric food dehydrators or freeze-drying can be used to speed the drying process and ensure more consistent results.[3]

1890 newspaper advertisement showing tin of dried coconut
  1. ^ Grandidier (1899), p. 521
  2. ^ "Historical Origins of Food Preservation". Accessed June 2011.
  3. ^ Rahman, M. Shafiur, ed. (2007). Handbook of Food Preservation (2nd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 9781420017373.