Tijmen Moesker MA

PhD candidate

Cohort/Start PhD: 2024-2025

The art of pickling and smoking; zooarchaeological and historical studies on traditional techniques to preserve meat and fish

Part of the Huygens KNAW research group; PRESERVARE -Large-scale conservation of perishable foodstuffs in the low countries 1600-1800
Supervisors; dr M. Hendriksen / Prof. dr. J. Symonds (UvA)
Duration: 3-februari-2025 / end date 1-februari-2029

The preservation of meat and fish in the period between 1600 and 1800 was an essential practice for ensuring food security and supporting long-distance trade. Through methods such as salting, smoking, drying, and fermentation, early modern European societies developed sophisticated systems for extending the shelf life of perishable foods like meat and fish. These techniques were not just born from scientific experimentation but were deeply intertwined with the practical knowledge of ordinary people and local communities, which were passed down through generations. The study of these preservation techniques, while using archaeozoological datasets and integrating them with historical sources, offers important insights into the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of the early modern world and provides a window into the technological and scientific innovations that shaped the development of global trade.