Which techniques are used when preparing food?

Most food must be processed before it is eaten.

Do you know the various techniques used?

There are mechanical techniques, such as cutting, grinding and sieving. Thermal techniques use heat, to dry or melt food for example. Biochemical techniques modify the structure of food, for example when curdling milk.

Do you know how grains of rice are processed?

After the grains of rice have been harvested and dried for some time, they are run through large rubber rollers to remove their hard husks, as these cannot be eaten. This is a mechanical technique.

What happens to grains of wheat?

Grains of wheat are ground to make flour. This is a mechanical technique. In the past, wheat was ground manually, using millstones, but today’s industrial mills use steel rollers. The flour is then sieved to remove any bits of husk.

Do cultural habits influence how food is prepared?

Yes, they do. In Japan, for example, fish is often sliced and eaten raw. When making kosher and halal products, meat has to be prepared in a particular way. 

Photo: Set of Japanese kitchen knives showing a 'Deba bōchō' in the foreground, used to chop fish or meat, a square-bladed 'Nakiri bōchō' for vegetables and a 'Yanagi-ba-bōchō' used to make sashimis.