[Sca-cooks] canning

[Harris Mark.S-rsve60]

Anahita commented:
>>>>
While foods were preserved in a variety of ways (and i haven't 
prepared very many of them, personally), they didn't do canning as we 
do now (i assume that's 19th century and came about with some change 
in technology - like the glass jars and canning lids) 
<<<<
That probably depends upon your definition of "technology" and what you consider a significant change. By the late 16th century they were beginning to pot meats.

>>>>
And many some 
change in knowledge (about boiling and sealing to keep out germs or 
at least to keep the food from decomposing).
<<<<

This requirement puts potting into the 1650s or so if I remember correctly. When they were beginning to pot meats, in either baked dough containers or clay ones in the 16th century they were cooking the foods and then *letting them cool down* before they poured butter over them, or another method, to seal them. Unfortunately, it took them another 50 years to realize they needed to seal the food while it was still hot, before the bad beasties started growing there.

For a little more info on this, see this Florilegium file in the FOOD section.
potted-foods-msg  (18K)  8/20/02    Cooked foods put in pots and sealed w. fat.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/potted-foods-msg.html

For some info on using more modern equipment such as pressure cookers, check this file:
canning-msg       (36K) 10/28/03    Use of canning in the SCA. Directions.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/canning-msg.html

Stefan