Try to picture the world before refrigerators. That may be difficult! They may also help store leftovers there after dinner. Yes, life today would be quite different without refrigerators. How did people keep their food fresh before these machines were around?
In cold areas, ancient people could freeze their food. They could then store it in ice and snow. Warmer places allowed for drying food in sunlight. Experts say these early practices gave people the option to settle and form communities.
One advanced method of food storage arose in Persia around 400 BC. People there stored food in structures called Yakhchal, which were buildings made from mud brick to keep ice frozen during even the warmest summer months. During the Middle Ages, people stored meat by salting or smoking it. These foods could then be stored in cool places, like caves, allowing people to save food for difficult times.
Later, buildings called ice houses or ice pits were built upon the idea of the Yakhchal. Such ice houses were very common by the 1800s. At the end of the 19th century, many people kept their food fresh in iceboxes made of wood. Ice delivery businesses grew with more homes requiring ice to store food.
By the 1930s, many people were using electric refrigerators to keep food fresh. Many refrigerators today come with built-in ice makers. Some people even choose smart refrigerators that can help them with meal plans and grocery shopping.
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A. They would also dry many foods, including grains. B. These containers held large blocks of ice to keep food cool. C. No one knows for sure how people first learned to store food. D. After all, kids today are used to grabbing a snack from the fridge after school. E. Since then, growth in technology has led these machines to become more advanced. F. With no means to store food, ancient people often went hungry or even died. G. Actually, people found different ways to keep their food fresh thousands of years ago. |
