Cured Fish o Processed Fish?
The practice of preserving fish through ancient techniques such as salting, drying, and smoking is deeply rooted in history. These methods developed thousands of years ago, in an era without refrigeration, when transporting fresh food was extremely limited.
Already in the Neolithic era, about 12,000 years ago, humans began using preservation methods to prolong the shelf life of food. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, around 3000 BC, fish was primarily preserved with salt. In China, around 1000 BC, historical documents record the use of preservation techniques based on fermentation and salting. During the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, salted, smoked, or dried fish became a crucial food resource, essential to the diet and easily transportable.
With the advent of modern technologies such as refrigeration and freezing, the importance of salting, smoking, or fermenting fish for purely preservation purposes has decreased. However, these methods have maintained their role, not only for cultural and culinary reasons but also for the unique flavor they impart to the fish.
When referring to traditional preservation methods, such as salted or smoked fish, the term “Cured Fish” is more appropriate. However, if we include a wide range of processing methods, including more industrial processes that use freezing, salting, smoking, fermentation, drying, and vacuum packaging, then “Processed Fish” is the correct term.
In the design and implementation of facilities for “Processed Fish,” which integrate both traditional methods and industrial or automated processes, our company can boast a historic and consolidated experience.
