In northern #Afghanistan, an ancient and surprising practice allows you to preserve the fruits of summer and early autumn for entire months, preserving their freshness until spring.
Called #kangina, this technique allows the #grapes to be kept fresh until Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which is celebrated on the spring equinox. After all those months, the beans are still perfect.
The practice is based on #mud, a mud rich in #clay that is molded into shapes that resemble a bowl: two of these shapes, after being filled with clusters, are joined together and sealed into a sphere, which is placed in the sun. until the mud is completely dry.
A pair of these rustic bowls holds about 1 pound of ripe fruit: after being sealed, the clay balls are placed away from sunlight, in cool cellars, or even buried underground.
The so-called kangina has been in practice for generations and generations, and probably dates back to 2000 years ago. However, it has been relatively little documented and studied.

#terre #argile #conservation #fruits #nourriture

The Ancient Method That Keeps Afghanistan’s Grapes Fresh All Winter

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-did-people-store-fruit-before-fridges

Afghans developed this method of food preservation, which uses mud-straw containers and is known as kangina, centuries ago in Afghanistan’s rural north. Thanks to the technique, people in remote communities who can’t afford imported produce are able to enjoy fresh fruit in winter months.

Despite the practice’s generation-to-generation longevity, it has barely been documented or studied, explains Murtaza Azizi, Acting Director for Tourism at the Ministry of Culture and Information. But the clay-rich mud, whose seal keeps out air and moisture like a Tupperware or ziplock bag, protects the fruit from the winter cold, and works best for certain types of grapes.

#Kangina #grapes #food #preservation #ZiaulhaqAhmadi #Afghanistan #atlasobscura