Technique: Macerating [edit]

Other Names: Macerate, Macerated, 粥 (Chinese), تنقيع (Arabic), Maceração (Portuguese), Macération (French), Maceración (Spanish) All Translations

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Edited by: Desiree Lowe, Yuna Wu, Helen Pitlick

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Wikipedia

In food preparation, maceration is softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid. Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften and to absorb the flavor of the liquid. In the case of fruit, they are often just sprinkled with sugar, then left to sit and release their 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.

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[edit] About Macerating

Not to be confused with marinating, macerating is the process of using liquid to soften food; this includes adding water to dehydrated food. Fruits can be macerated using their own juices with the addition of sugar, and vegetables can be macerated by soaking in flavored liquid, which can also act as a marinade. Alcohol is very effective in maceration and changes the character of the food. Be careful not to oversoak, or the food may break down beyond the desired softness.