The problem of food conservation was a constant throughout history – we have already seen the conservation of water – until the Frenchman Nicolas Appert In 1804, he devised the first preservation system. This system, described in his book « The art of preserving all kinds of animal and vegetable substances for several years «, consisted of putting the food in glass jars and, after boiling them, closing them hermetically. And although Napoleon came to give him a prize of 12,000 francs for his invention, he was not very successful because of the fragility of the container and because the hermetic closure, with corks, left much to be desired.
Nicolas Appert
In 1810, the Englishman Peter Durand he gave Appert's invention a spin, swapping glass jars for wrought-iron containers lined with tin to prevent rust. But it would not be Durand who would take the fame but Bryan Donkin and John Hall , who bought the patent from him for £1,000 and founded the company Donkin and Hall . The new company's first customer was the Royal Navy.
What was wrong with these early cans?
That the can opener had not been invented .
As indicated on the labels of the cans, to open them the help of a hammer and a chisel was necessary. Many soldiers opened them using bayonets, shooting at them or hitting them with stones.
The first can opener was invented in 1855 and patented in 1858 by Ezra. J.Warner .