Salting is the preservation of food with dry edible salt . It is related to pickling in general and more specifically to brining also known as fermenting (preparing food with brine , that is, salty water) and is one form of curing . It is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, and two historically significant salt-cured foods are salted fish (usually dried and salted cod or salted herring ) and salt-cured meat (such as bacon ). Vegetables such as runner beans and cabbage are also often preserved in this manner.
31-550: Xinghua , the Mandarin Chinese pinyin transliteration of three similarly pronounced names ( " 兴华 " ; Xīnghuá , " 兴化 " ; Xīnghuà and " 杏花 " ; Xìnghuā ; ' apricot blossom '), may refer to: There are numerous subdistricts referred to as Xinghua Subdistrict, often with the identical Chinese name " 兴华街道 ": There are numerous towns referred to as Xinghua, often with the identical Chinese name " 兴华镇 ": Prunus armeniaca#In culture Prunus armeniaca
62-715: A catchall term for Prunus fruit). The English name comes from earlier " abrecock " in turn from the Middle French abricot , from Catalan abercoc in turn from Spanish albaricoque . The Spanish albaricoque were adaptation of the Arabic البرقوق (al-barqūq), dating from the Moorish rule of Spain . Al-barquq in its turn comes from the Aramaic/Syriac word of barquqyo. However, in Argentina and Chile
93-424: A highly salty environment, due to the hypertonic nature of salt. Any living cell in such an environment will become dehydrated through osmosis and die or become temporarily inactivated. Fine grained salts were more expensive but also absorbed moisture faster than coarse salt. Salting could be combined with smoking to produce bacon in peasant homes. Instructions for preserving (salting) freshly killed venison in
124-460: Is a small tree, 8–12 m (26–39 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter and a dense, spreading canopy. The leaves are ovate , 5–9 cm (2.0–3.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) wide, with a rounded base, a pointed tip and a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 2–4.5 cm (0.8–1.8 in) in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in pairs in early spring before
155-405: Is another center of domestication. His hypothesis has been confirmed by genetic studies. There were at least three independent domestication events in the demographic history of P. armeniaca : The cultivated apricot diffused westward by two main routes: one is Central Asia → West Asia → Mediterranean Europe & North Africa, and the other is Central Asia → continental Europe. In addition,
186-454: Is brought down in Ibn al-'Awwam 's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture . Egyptians usually dry apricots, add sweetener, and then use them to make a drink called amar al-dīn . In England during the 17th century, apricot oil was used in herbalism treatments intended to act against tumors, swelling, and ulcers . In the 17th century, English settlers brought the apricot to
217-530: Is enclosed in a hard, stony shell, often called a "stone", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges running down one side. According to the Catalogue of Life and Flora of China , there are six varieties of P. armeniaca : According to the Soviet botanist Nikolai Vavilov , the center of origin of P. armeniaca is Central Asia , where its domestication would have taken place, and China
248-555: Is more common in Kosher Shechita (where it is all but required) than in Halal Dhabiha (as in most cases, draining alone will suffice). The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF) have stated that there is strong evidence that consuming salted foods including salt-preserved fish and salt-preserved foods in general increases risk of stomach cancer and that
279-598: Is probably derived from a tree mentioned as praecocia by Pliny. Pliny says "We give the name of apples ( mala ) ... to peaches ( persica ) and pomegranates ( granata ) ..." Later in the same section he states "The Asiatic peach ripens at the end of autumn, though an early variety ( praecocia ) ripens in summer – these were discovered within the last thirty years ...". The classical authors connected Greek armeniaca with Latin praecocia : Pedanius Dioscorides ' " ... Ἀρμενιακὰ, Ῥωμαιστὶ δὲ βρεκόκκια " and Martial 's "Armeniaca, et praecocia latine dicuntur" . Putting together
310-478: Is sufficient to reduce harmful effects. The scientific name armeniaca was first used by Gaspard Bauhin in his Pinax Theatri Botanici (page 442), referring to the species as Mala armeniaca "Armenian apple". It is sometimes stated that this came from Pliny the Elder , but it was not used by Pliny. Linnaeus took up Bauhin's epithet in the first edition of his Species Plantarum in 1753. The name apricot
341-471: Is the most commonly cultivated apricot species. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation. Genetic studies indicate Central Asia is the center of origin . It is extensively cultivated in many countries and has escaped into the wild in many places. The specific epithet armeniaca refers to the country of Armenia in Western Asia. Prunus armeniaca
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#1732784043555372-511: The American Heritage Dictionary under apricot derives praecocia from praecoquus , "cooked or ripened beforehand" [in this case meaning early ripening ], becoming Greek πραικόκιον praikókion "apricot" and Arabic البرقوق al-barqūq , a term that has been used for a variety of different members of the genus Prunus (it currently refers primarily to the plum in most varieties of Arabic , but some writers use it as
403-533: The Armeniaca and the Mala obtains the well-known epithet, but there is no evidence the ancients did it; Armeniaca alone meant the apricot. Nonetheless, the 12th century Andalusian agronomist Ibn al-'Awwam refers to the species in the title of chapter 40 of his Kitab al-Filaha as والتفاح الارمني, "apple from Armenia" , stating that it is the same as المشمش or البرقوق ("al-mishmish" or "al-barqūq"). Accordingly,
434-686: The English colonies in the New World . Most of modern American production of apricots comes from the seedlings carried to the West Coast by Spanish missionaries. Almost all U.S. commercial production is in California , with some in Washington and Utah . Today, apricot cultivation has spread to all parts of the globe having climates that can support its growth needs. Seeds or kernels of
465-671: The 14th century involved covering the animal with bracken as soon as possible and carrying it to a place where it could be butchered, boiled in brine, and dry salted for long term preservation in a barrel . People in the 14th century could also put salt on vegetables for taste. Salted meat was a staple of the mariner's diet in the Age of Sail . It was stored in barrels, and often had to last for months at sea. The basic Royal Navy diet consisted of salted beef, salted pork , ship's biscuit , and oatmeal , supplemented with smaller quantities of peas, cheese and butter. Even in 1938, Eric Newby found
496-525: The 1770s, asserted, " Cet arbre tire son nom de l'Arménie, province d'Asie, d'où il est originaire et d'où il fut porté en Europe ... " ("this tree takes its name from Armenia, province of Asia, where it is native, and whence it was brought to Europe ..."). A large variety of apricots, around 50, are grown in Armenia today. Apricots have been cultivated in China since no later than 1000 BC. Beginning in about
527-406: The absence of refrigeration . In more recent times, freeze-drying , water binding humectants , and fully automated equipment with temperature and humidity control have been added. Often a combination of these techniques is used. Jewish and Muslim dietary laws require the removal of blood from freshly slaughtered meat. Salt and brine are used for the purpose in both traditions, but salting
558-496: The apricot grown in central Asia and around the Mediterranean may be substituted for bitter almonds . The Italian liqueur amaretto and amaretti biscotti are flavoured with extract of apricot kernels rather than almonds. Oil pressed from these cultivar kernels, and known as oil of almond, has been used as cooking oil . Kernels contain between 2.05% and 2.40% hydrogen cyanide , but consumption after proper processing
589-435: The classical word 杏壇 (literally: 'apricot altar ') which means "educational circle", is still widely used in written language. Chuang Tzu , a Chinese philosopher in the 4th century BCE, told a story that Confucius taught his students in a forum surrounded by the wood of apricot trees. The association with medicine in turn comes from the common use of apricot kernels as a component in traditional Chinese medicine , and from
620-632: The cultivated apricot from Japan had a minor contribution to that in Mediterranean Europe. The apricot was known in Armenia during ancient times, and has been cultivated there for so long that it was previously thought to have originated there. An archaeological excavation at Garni in Armenia found apricot seeds in a Chalcolithic -era site. Its scientific name Prunus armeniaca (Armenian plum) derives from that assumption. For example, Belgian arborist Baron de Poerderlé , writing in
651-551: The diet on the tall ship Moshulu to consist almost entirely of salted meat. Moshulu's lack of refrigeration left little choice as the ship made voyages which could exceed 100 days passage between ports. It was discovered in the 19th century that salt mixed with nitrates (such as saltpeter ) would color meats red, rather than grey, and consumers at that time then strongly preferred the red-colored meat. The food hence preserved stays healthy and fresh for days avoiding bacterial decay. Salting, either with dry salt or brine ,
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#1732784043555682-424: The high salt content of processed meat may result in damage to the stomach mucosal lining. The American Cancer Society have stated that "stomach cancer risk is increased in people whose diets include large amounts of foods preserved by salting, such as salted fish and meat and pickled vegetables." Additionally, an excessive intake of salt has a dose-response relationship with elevated blood pressure , increasing
713-406: The large corns or grains of salt used (see wiktionary:corn ). Corned beef retains this name, although it is typically brined today. Salt inhibits the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of microbial cells through osmosis . Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of unwanted bacteria . Smoking , often used in the process of curing meat, adds chemicals to
744-442: The leaves. The fruit is a drupe similar to a small peach , 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1.0 in) diameter (larger in some modern cultivars ), from yellow to orange, often tinged red on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as: glabrous ) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent ). The flesh (mesocarp) is succulent and its taste can range from sweet to tart. The single seed
775-671: The seventh century, apricots in China have been preserved by various methods, including salting and smoking , and the more common drying . Hubei is noted for its black smoked apricots. Its introduction to Greece is attributed to Alexander the Great . Apricots have been cultivated in Persia since antiquity, and dried ones were an important commodity on Persian trade routes. Apricots remain an important fruit in modern-day Iran . An article on Apricot cultivation in Andalusia of Spain
806-534: The story of Dong Feng (董奉), a physician during the Three Kingdoms period , who required no payment from his patients except that they plant apricot trees in his orchard on recovering from their illnesses, resulting in a large grove of apricot trees and a steady supply of medicinal ingredients. The term "Expert of the Apricot Grove" (杏林高手) is still used as a poetic reference to physicians. In Armenia,
837-564: The surface of meat that reduce the concentration of salt required. Various types of salted meat are staples of the diets of people in North Africa , Southern China , Scandinavia , coastal Russia , and in the Arctic . Some of those salted meats (or foods that contain salted meat) are bacon , biltong , cecina , corned beef , ham , jamón , jerky , pastrami , and salt pork . Drying or salting, either with dry salt or with brine ,
868-485: The wood of the apricot tree is used for making wood carvings such as the duduk , which is a popular wind instrument in Armenia and is also called " apricot pipe " ( Armenian : ծիրանափող , romanized : ciranap'oġ ). Several hand-made souvenirs are also made from the apricot wood. The colour is used on the flag of Armenia . Salting (food) Salting is used because most bacteria , fungi and other potentially pathogenic organisms cannot survive in
899-629: The word for "apricot" is damasco , which could indicate that, to the Spanish settlers of these countries, the fruit was associated with Damascus in Syria. The word damasco is also the word for "apricot" in Portuguese (both European and Brazilian, though in Portugal the words alperce and albricoque are also used). The Chinese associate the apricot with education and medicine. For instance,
930-450: Was a common method of preserving meat until the middle of the 20th century, becoming less popular after the advent of refrigeration. Meat that had been preserved in this way was frequently called "junk" or "salt horse". One early method of salt-curing meat was corning , or applying large, coarse pellets of salt, which were rubbed into the meat to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it. This term originates from Old English and references
961-493: Was the only widely available method of preserving fish until the 19th century. Dried fish and salted fish (or fish both dried and salted) are a staple of diets in the Caribbean , West Africa , North Africa , South Asia , Southeast Asia , Southern China , Scandinavia , parts of Canada including Newfoundland , coastal Russia , and in the Arctic . Like other salt-cured meats , it provides preserved animal protein even in