Guest guest Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0560e/x0560e00.htm#con FAO AGRICULTURAL SERVICES BULLETIN No. 134 From the Introduction: Agricultural crops are processed for many different reasons. These range from the removal of anti-nutritional components and increasing the storage life of the final product to adding value to increase both employment and income generating opportunities. Fermentation is one of the most ancient and most important food processing technologies. However scientists and policy makers have neglected this area, particularly traditional fermented products from developing countries. Fermented foods: an ancient tradition Fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food preservation technologies in the world. Indigenous fermented foods such as bread, cheese and wine, have been prepared and consumed for thousands of years and are strongly linked to culture and tradition, especially in rural households and village communities. The development of fermentation technologies is lost in the mists of history. Anthropologists have suggested that it was the production of alcohol that motivated primitive people to settle down and become agriculturists. Some even think the consumption of fermented food is pre-human (Stanton, 1985). The first fermented foods consumed probably were fermented fruits. Hunter-gatherers would have consumed fresh fruits but at times of scarcity would have eaten rotten and fermented fruits. Repeated consumption would have led to the development of the taste for fermented fruits. There is reliable information that fermented drinks were being produced over 7,000 years ago in Babylon (now Iraq), 5,000 years ago in Egypt, 4,000 years ago in Mexico and 3,500 years ago in Sudan (Dirar, 1993), (Pedersen, 1979). Bread-making probably originated in Egypt over 3,500 years ago (Sugihara, 1985). Several triangular loaves of bread have been found in ancient tombs. Fermentation of milk started in many places with evidence of fermented products in use in Babylon over 5,000 years ago. There is also evidence of fermented meat products being produced for King Nebuchadnezer of Babylon. China is thought to be the birth-place of fermented vegetables and the use of Aspergillus and Rhizopus moulds to make food. The book called " Shu-Ching " written in the Chou dynasty in China (1121-256 BC) refers to the use of " chu " a fermented grain product (Yokotsuka, 1985). Knowledge about traditional fermentation technologies has been handed down from parent to child, for centuries. These fermented products have been adapted over generations; some products and practices no doubt fell by the wayside. Those that remain today have not only survived the test of time but also more importantly are appropriate to the technical, social and economic conditions of the region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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