13. Methods of Preserving Food
Complete solutions to the Exercise. Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Standard 5 EVS 1.
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Exercises
The papads have soaked up moisture from the air. Spread them out in the sunlight for some time so that the moisture dries out and they become crisp again. After that, store them in an airtight container so that damp air cannot reach them.
They should be preserved in the season when they are plentiful, so that they last through the rest of the year:
Semolina is dry. It holds almost no moisture, and micro-organisms cannot grow without moisture, so it stays good for a long time.
When kheer is made, milk, sugar and other moist ingredients are added. Now there is plenty of moisture along with the nourishment micro-organisms need, so they grow quickly in it. That is why the kheer spoils much sooner than the dry semolina it was made from.
Correct. No change is needed.
Wrong. Corrected statement: Our food gets spoiled when micro-organisms begin to grow in it.
Wrong. Corrected statement: Foodstuffs dried in summer can be used for the rest of the year.
Wrong. Corrected statement: Foodstuffs are kept at a low temperature when put in a fridge.
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Spoiled food can cause stomachache, diarrhoea and vomiting, and its nutritional value is also reduced. Sometimes it can even be a threat to life. That is why we avoid eating food that has got spoiled.
Fruits are available in plenty only in their own season and they spoil quickly. Jam is made by cooking the fruit with sugar, and the sugar acts as a preservative that stops harmful micro-organisms from growing. In this way the fruit can be eaten right through the year, and fruit that would otherwise have been wasted is put to use.
Certain substances are added to foods such as jams and pickles so that they keep for a long time. These substances are called preservatives. Sugar, salt, asafoetida (hing), mustard, oil and vinegar are examples of preservatives.
| Spice | Part of the plant |
|---|---|
| Cinnamon | Bark of the cinnamon tree |
| Clove | Dried flower buds of the clove tree |
| Black pepper | Dried berries, that is, the fruit of the pepper vine |
| Cardamom | Seeds held inside the fruit (pod) |
| Turmeric | Rhizome, an underground stem |
| Ginger | Underground stem of the ginger plant |
| Cumin | Fruit of the cumin plant, usually called seed |
| Coriander | Seeds of the coriander plant |
| Mustard | Seeds of the mustard plant |
| Fenugreek | Seeds of the fenugreek plant |
Note: spices come from many different parts of a plant — bark, buds, fruit, seeds and even underground stems. Ginger and turmeric are often called roots, but they are really underground stems called rhizomes.