You know, sailors used to get scurvy because of C deficiency back a couple centuries ago. Vitamin C degrades really easily, but is there any way you can store it long term other than pills or tablets? I’m just wondering if it would have been possible to do this in the past with the technology that was available.

  • ✺roguetrick✺@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Vitamin C is heat sensitive but fermentation is fine and a good reason why fermented cabbage is popular in places with cold winter. See kimchi and sauerkraut, as rice or rye alone would kill you over a long winter. Similar mechanics going on for andean freeze dried potatoes to a lesser extent. Beyond that, it’s straight up foraging for greens and berries but that only really works if you’re moving a small enough group of people to allow forage to be an option. Plenty of leafy greens from forage allowed enough vitamin c to stave off scurvy for many ancient armies and sailors(though not all). Cook notably would beat sailors who wouldn’t eat foraged greens. The other option was uncooked organ meats.

      • RBWells@lemmy.world
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        30 days ago

        Just ate a kimchi grilled cheese, and yesterday had some with fried eggs. It is so delicious. I love sauerkraut too. Cabbage of any sort, cabbage is just an amazing food, good raw, burnt, and everything in between, delicious fermented, just good and ever so versatile.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          29 days ago

          I had a kimchi Reuben from a local deli a couple weeks ago. Basically a Reuben but with kimchi instead of coleslaw sauerkraut. Was insane.

          • RBWells@lemmy.world
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            29 days ago

            That sounds so good! Every time I get a Reuben sandwich at a restaurant it has way, way, too much meat for me - I guess they want to make it worth the price but it is unbalanced. I would make this at home though and perhaps will next week, making sourdough tomorrow, and have rye flour.