Salt
Salting or curing draws moisture from the meat through a process of osmosis. Meat is cured with salt or sugar, or a combination of the two. Nitrates and nitrites are also often used to cure meat and contribute the characteristic pink color, as well as inhibition of Clostridium botulinum.
Read more about this topic: Food Preservation
Famous quotes containing the word salt:
“Timon hath made his everlasting mansion
Upon the beached verge of the salt flood,
Who once a day with his embossed froth
The turbulent surge shall cover; thither come,
And let my grave-stone be your oracle.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“At sea a fellow comes out. Salt water is like wine, in that respect.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“No American worth his salt should go around looking for a root. I advance this in all modesty, as a not unreasonable opinion.”
—Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)