Escabeche: acid preservation technique

Al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula, Arab-Persian origin)

Escabeche is the Iberian acid-preservation technique for cooked food — fish or meat is fried or poached, then submerged in a marinade of vinegar, olive oil, garlic, bay, pimentón, and aromatics, and stored for 24-72 hours (or longer). The acid from the vinegar continues to transform the food during the resting period — firming the fish, deepening the flavour, and preserving it safely at room temperature for days. The technique descends directly from the Persian sikbaj (sweet-sour stew) through the Arab occupation of Iberia — the word escabeche derives from the Arabic al-sikbaj. It is found throughout Spanish and Portuguese cooking (escabeche de perdiz, escabeche de atún, carpa en escabeche, sardinha de escabeche) and spread to Latin America, Southeast Asia, and even England (pickled herrings) through the colonial era.

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