Food Conservation

I have a question and I wonder if there is someone who could help.

How did they conserve food in Middle Europe at the time of Jesus Christ? What kind of food did they take for journeys?

Obviously there is alcohol, curing, salting, drying. And honey.

Not really my cup of tea, but it sounds like that's about it. Ice, too, if I remember correctly.

I know Roman soldiers ate a lot of grain which they carried with them. Besides some wine [it only gets better with age :laugh4:]...and the things they took from others.

Plus: oil was used to conserve food, well, and still is.

Nomads used to dry meat and grate it. A very potent powder was the result. It was handy to transport b/c of the small volume. The substance was put in some boiling water, soon you had a very nourishing meal. I would love to try that soup once...hmmmmm. Especially the fast moving recon-units used it, as they weren't able to bring their cattle along on their missions.

Besides: very interesting topic. Food is always of big importance.

cheese

Damned I had a lecture about this thursday (well sorta, it was partly about Berenike, partly about the Fayum, but that counts as Middle East to me)

I can tell you that little food was really conserved, often food was simply eaten. Food conservation was not the easiest thing, and not always too profitable. And nomads had food that was good for a long time by itself.



I'll get back to you on this.

I took a couple of grad. courses with a girl who was a medievalist, but was also fascinated with the history of food. Unfourtunately we didn't keep in touch. :wall: