Smoking

Smoking has long been used to preserve foods; today it is valued chiefly for the distinctive flavor it gives to fish, meat, and even cheese. Traditionally, meat, poultry, game and fish are salted before being smoked; in the past smoking and salting processes for fish often resulted in such a strong taste that the fish had to be soaked in water before being prepared for the table; modern techniques allow a lighter hand.

Home smoking has developed into a well-documented hobby, particularly popular with hunters and fishermen who experiment with different processes. They vary smoking times, temperatures and fuel to achieve subtle differences in taste, and often build ingenious cold-smokers from converted sheds or oil drums.