Maceration (food)

Maceration is the process of preparing foods through the softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid.

Raw, dried or preserved

In the case of fresh fruit, particularly soft fruit such as strawberries and raspberries, the fruit is often simply sprinkled with sugar (and sometimes a small amount of salt) and left to sit and release its own juices. This process makes the food more flavorful and easier to chew and digest.

Maceration is often confused with marination, which is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking.

Some herbal preparations call for maceration, as it is one way to extract delicate or highly volatile herbal essences without applying heat.^[1]

Sometimes a cooking oil is used as the liquid for maceration – especially olive or some other vegetable oil.

Maceration is the chief means of producing flavored alcoholic beverages, such as cordials, liqueurs, and Geister.^[2]

Maceration of

Ritual foods

In Mandaeism, hamra is made by macerating raisins mixed in water blessed by priests.^[3][4]

See also

• Food processor

References

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