To Make Food Last Longer, The Inca Invented The Freeze-Drying Technique.

The Inca's storage was known as Qullqa ("deposit, storeroom"). The Inca empire had tens of thousands of qullqas, letting them store more food than any other culture at the time. The cause for this is most likely the region's agricultural unpredictability. Qullqas were built around cities and political centers, as well as along roadways. In times of crop failures and food shortages, they offered food and other necessities to Inca authorities and soldiers on the march, as well as laborers and the general public.

Charqui, or dried beef, and Chuo, or freeze-dried potato, were among the commodities kept in Inca storehouses. This is considered as one of the major achievements of the ancient Inca civilization. The Inca exploited the cold temperatures of the Andes at night to freeze frost-resistant potato cultivars, which they then exposed to the day's bright sunshine. Chuno was particularly long-lasting and could be stored for up to four years in the storehouses. The Inca are credited with being the first to create the freeze-drying technology.