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Theory and Methods of Food Preservation

Module description

This module examines food preservation, with a focus on artisan methods and small- to medium-sized enterprises in South West England. You will learn the theory and methods of techniques ranging from pickling and preserving, sourdough baking, fish smoking, butchery and charcuterie, cheese making, and cider making. Traditional and contemporary artisan technologies will be examined in historical perspective, along with the changing socio-economic environments and livelihoods associated with the making of these foods.  You will learn the basic science of these forms of food making and preservation, and develop basic skills through hands-on learning with craft producers, small-scale entrepreneurs and food science practitioners.

Module aims - intentions of the module

A series of practical classes will not only demonstrate fundamental techniques of food preservation but also afford you with the opportunity to gain basic experience in their practice. Lectures and guided readings will provide historical and socio-economic context through which to better understand not only productive techniques, but also livelihoods and businesses associated with them. You may go on to produce the foods you have studied. You may also contribute in other capacities to small- and medium-scale enterprises making these foods, for example in management or marketing, or you may contribute to private or public initiatives to support the producers of these foods, for example working in regional economic development, in the promotion of gastro-tourism, or in food-focused media.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Understand how a range of preserved foods are produced, and practice basic techniques to a level that enables commentary in a range of media
• 2. Recognize the economic challenges and opportunities faced by small- and medium-scale artisan food makers well enough to give detailed report of these

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Compare traditional food preservation techniques with contemporary artisan practices drawing on relevant historical and ethnographic resources
• 4. Recognize the socio-economic drivers of changing food preservation technologies and analyse their implications for practitioners

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Produce narrative accounts of various forms of food preservation, artisan practice or enterprise, with analysis of relevant context and guiding principles
• 6. Identify and present cases for new opportunities for food preservation practices or enterprises, or for the promotion of existing ones

Syllabus plan

The module will explore food preservation through a series of paired seminars and practical classes. Seminars will include lectures as well discussion of readings undertaken by students in advance of the session. Practical classes will comprise tours of local enterprises, demonstrations and hands-on experience.

The following forms of food making and preservation are likely to be covered, with minor variation from year to year depending upon the availability of lecturers and practitioners contributing to the module:

• Pickling and preserving
• Sourdough baking
• Fish smoking
• Butchery and charcuterie
• Cheese making
• Cider making

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Sue Shephard, Pickled, Potted and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World, Simon and Schuster, 2001.

Harold McGee, McGee on Food and Cooking: An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture, Hodder & Stoughton, 2004.

The Gardeners and Farmers of Terre Vivante, Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage and Lactic Fermentation, Chelsea Green Publishers Co, 2007.

Sandor Ellix Katz, The Arts of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World, Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 2012.

Andrew Whitley, Bread Matters: Why and How to Make Your Own, Fourth Estate, 2009.

Stanley Marianski and Adam Marianski, Curing and Smoking Fish, Book Magic LLC, 2014.

Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.

Paul Kindstedt, American Farmstead Cheese: The Complete Guide to Making and Selling Artisan Cheeses (2005)

Andrew Lea, Craft Cider Making, Third Edition, The Crowood Press Limited, 2015.

Key words search

Food science, artisan craft, small enterprise and livelihoods