Learn about the history of marinades.
Origin of the word "Marinade"
Seawater led to the word marinade, which comes from the Latin word for the sea, mare. The verb form "marinade" appeared in English around the beginning of the 17th century, earlier than the noun marinade, which did not appear until the 18th century. According to some sources, the word may not have come directly from its association with seawater, but from the French word mariner, "to marinate," or from the Italian word marinare, meaning "to pickle." Dictionaries explain that the word marinade implied that something was salty, from brine or the sea. This led to the treatment of meats in brine, the processing of foods in brine or coarse salt to tenderize them and impart flavor. The difference is that brining does not involve the use of large quantities of acids, unlike marinades, which help break down the meat's connective tissue to make it tender.
Marinating foods
Over time, the process of pickling or preserving evolved into a process for flavoring and tenderizing meat. It involved treating meat and fish, among other foods, in a mixture of vinegar, oil, herbs, and other similar ingredients before cooking. The idea was that this would make food more tender and add flavor. The process can take from minutes to days, and there are many marinades used in different cuisines. However, poultry and seafood require a shorter marinating time, as acidic marinades can make meat overly soft. As a general rule, marinate chicken for one hour, no longer. Citrus juice, wine, yogurt, pineapple, and buttermilk alter protein strands, uncoiling them to tenderize chicken and add flavor.
Marinades in ancient civilizations
Most people think that marinades have only existed here for a few hundred years and were discovered in Europe. However, they date back to ancient Egyptian times. Asians have also been marinating their food for centuries with the popular ingredient, soy sauce. Roman times introduced marinades to flavor food with vegetables as the main dish in ancient times. The French began marinating their food in the 1300s, and Mexicans used papaya to tenderize their meat long before Columbus. In the United States, ready-made marinades came into use in the 1800s, but marinating in general may have been practiced before then. These specific marinades were influenced by the countries they came from, as well as by chefs. Since there were no refrigerators at the time, marinating was mainly used for preservation. During the Renaissance, they became popular in Western cooking, as people used them on chicken and other meats to enhance their flavor while also preserving them.
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