Food preservation: Canning

Food preservation: Canning
In the early nineteenth century, when France and Britain were at war with each other more soldiers and sailors died from disease than from battle.

Both the French and Britain government realized something important. Finding a new way to preserve food (keep it from spoilage) would prevent soldiers and sailors from dying. A larger, healthier fighting force would bring a greater advantage in battle. In 1795, the French government took action. It offered a prize of 12,000 francs. The money would go to the inventor of the best preserved food. The food had to be healthy, easily carried and not too expensive.

In 1803 a French chef named Nicolas Appert invented a new technique for preserving food. He prepared and preserved soup, beef with gravy, beans and peas. The French navy stored it for three months. Then they tried it. The food was delicious and safe to eat.

For the next few years, Appert provided the French fleet with preserved foods such as stew, milk and juice. This preservation technique proved successful. In 1810 the French government gave Appert the prize.

In this process, Appert filled the glass bottles with food and closed the bottles with cork stoppers. He then tight down the stoppers with the wire and sealed them with a thick, waxy coating called pitch. As a final step, Appert boiled the sealed bottles in water. Food heated in the airtight bottles did not spoil.

In 1821 an Englishman named William Underwood brought Appert’s invention to the United States. Underwood set up a factory in Boston, Massachusetts, to bottle lobster and salmon. Later the factory switched from glass bottles to metal canister. The word “can” was first used in Boston for these metal containers. Appert’s preservation method became known as “canning’ whether bottles or cans were used.
Food preservation: Canning