food modification process food smoking Damion Dooley In the past, smoking was a useful preservation tool, in combination with other techniques, most commonly salt-curing or drying. For some long-smoked foods, the smoking time also served to dry the food. Drying, curing, or other techniques can render the interior of foods inhospitable to bacterial life, while the smoking gives the vulnerable exterior surfaces an extra layer of protection. [Wikipedia]|LanguaL curation note: Used when smoking is used for preservation. Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. http://www.langual.org/langual_thesaurus.asp?termid=J0106 preservation by reducing water activity