Curing using Salt The preservation of food using salt is called curing. Salt draws the moisture out of food by osmosis. As curing decreases the moisture in food it makes it inhospitable to microbe growth and increases its longevity. Curing can be traced back to antiquity and was the primary method of preserving meat and fish until the late 19 th century. Whilst curing was developed essentially to preserve food and so prevent disease, nowadays, in developed countries, where modern preservation techniques are available, it is still practised for it’s cultural value and the impact of the taste and texture of the food. In less developed countries curing remains a key process in the transport, production and availability of meat. Curing significantly increases the length of time meat remains edible. Spoiled meat changes colour and has a foul smell, eating it can cause severe food poisoning. So the short shelf life was a ...