How can certain meats be cured for months without rotting? Same question for alcohol that’s been cured for decades?
In: Other
Cured meats have usually been dried and salted. Microorganisms need water to live and grow; without it, the meat won’t rot. The salt mostly is there to help dry out the food, but it also helps kill microorganisms because cells require a specific salinity level and will die if it’s too high.
Alcohol doesn’t go bad because, well, it’s alcohol. Nothing is going to grow in a barrel of whiskey, you can even use it as a disinfectant in a pinch.
Wine, beer, and other lower ABV drinks can grow bacteria, however. To prevent this, wine is usually made quite acidic and sulphur dioxide is added. Beer has even less alcohol and *will* spoil, so it must be canned or bottled to preserve it for long periods of time. You usually don’t age beer.
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