Canning is a relatively recent development in the long history of food preservation. Humans have dried, salted and fermented foods since before recorded history. But preserving food by heat-treating and then sealing it in airtight containers didnt come along until the late 18th century.
During canning, food is preserved through heat processing and storage in sealed airtight containers. This process was developed by Nicolas Appert of France during the Napoleonic Wars.
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The History of Canning
In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte offered a reward for whoever could develop a safe, reliable food preservation method for his constantly traveling army. Nicholas Appert took on the challenge, and about 15 years later introduced a method that involved heat-processing food in glass jars reinforced with wire and sealing them with wax. That last technique is similar to the method some people still use sealing jelly jars with paraffin wax – a technique, FYI, that is no longer considered safe).
The First True Canning Method
The next breakthrough was the first true “canning” (as opposed to “bottling” or “jarring”) method. By 1810, Englishman Peter Durand had introduced a method for sealing food in “unbreakable” tin cans. The first commercial canning establishment in the U.S. was started in 1812 by Thomas Kensett.
It wasnt until almost a century after Nicholas Appert took on Napoleons food preservation challenge that Louis Pasteur was able to demonstrate how the growth of microorganisms causes food to spoil. Prior to that, people knew that canning methods worked, but not why.
Overlapping with those developments, by the time of the U.S. Civil War glass food preservation jars with metal clamps and replaceable rubber rings had been invented. These jars are still available today, although they are more commonly used now for storing dry goods than for canning.
In 1858, John Mason invented a glass container with a screw-on thread molded into its top and a lid with a rubber seal.
Wire-clamped jars such as Lightning and Atlas jars were in use from the late 19th century until 1964, and still, turn up in yard sales and thrift shops.
Food Preservation: History of Canning | Vintage Documentary | ca. 1957
FAQ
Who was the inventor of canned food?
What is the purpose of canning?
What did people do before canning?
Did the father of canning knew his process worked but not why it worked?
Who invented Canning?
The first commercial canning establishment in the U.S. was started in 1812 by Thomas Kensett. It wasn’t until almost a century after Nicholas Appert took on Napoleon’s food preservation challenge that Louis Pasteur was able to demonstrate how the growth of microorganisms causes food to spoil.
What is Canning & how does it work?
canning, method of preserving food from spoilage by storing it in containers that are hermetically sealed and then sterilized by heat. The process was invented after prolonged research by Nicolas Appert of France in 1809, in response to a call by his government for a means of preserving food for army and navy use.
Who invented canned food?
British merchant Peter Durand patented the method of storing food in cans made of tin on behalf of French national Philippe de Girard (who invented the method) in 1811. Durand sold the patent to Donkin, who was able to deliver canned food to the royal table and produce cans on a larger scale.
What is a canning machine used for?
Industrial canning machines used for mass-producing canned salmon in 1917 Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans ).