Salt protects food from spoiling. Salting or pickling is a tried-and-tested and effective way of preserving food, but it is increasingly being forgotten. Nowadays, anything that needs to last longer is put in the freezer. Only a few people still know how to cure food properly.
We'll tell you exactly what happens during the curing process:
Salt extracts water. Without water, mold and putrefactive bacteria have no chance to develop. Meat is particularly suitable for salting. Salting is a widely used method of preserving this food. For preservation, the salt is usually enriched with saltpetre or nitrite, which further strengthen the bacteria-inhibiting effect. The two additives also promote the visually appealing red coloring of the meat.
Salting has two main processes:
Dry curing: The desired food is rubbed with a mixture of salt and nitrite/saltpetre, sugar and spices and stored in a relatively cool place at max. 7°C. The salt removes water from the food and inhibits the development of microorganisms, extending the shelf life. It's the quantity that counts, so only around 40 g is needed per kilogram of meat. The curing time can vary depending on the size of the meat. The process should take eight days per kilogram.
Wet curing: This method is more time-consuming than dry curing, but ensures a much juicier and more tender consistency of the food. One kilogram of meat is cured in a brine consisting of 1 liter of water, 100 g of salt, 1 g of saltpetre and spices as required. Although the food is in an aqueous solution, water is removed from the product by diffusion. After the brine has boiled up and cooled down again, the meat or other food is placed in it and stored in a cool place for up to 15 days.