Extracts

They are concentrates made of meat, fish or vegetables. Some concentrates -sauces made of fermented fish, stock cubes- have been around for centuries. They were once produced in the kitchen. Nowadays, they are made commercially.

All about extracts

Ancient Greeks and Romans produced sauced from the juices of dried and fermented fish used -particularly by Romans- to season seafood and meats, and as salad dressing.

In China and south Asia, there are today preparations very similar to the ancient ones.

Food extracts, as concentrated beef pastes and stock cubes, are made from the natural juices of the particular animal or vegetable. Colorings, spices, salt, monosodium glutamate, and sometimes preservatives, are added also. According to the degree of evaporation, a moist or dry extract can be obtained.

Fish pastes and sauces keep indefinitely; yeast and malt extracts keep indefinitely, too.