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Food fermentation

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Food fermentation

Postby Sloe-Gin » Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:14 pm

I have a friend who is really into this and is working her way through the Noma Guide to fermentation.
It holds no appeal for me, though I can say, hand on heart, I have never knowingly tried most of these Koji, Kombuchas, Shoyus, Misos, Vinegars, Garums, Lacto-Ferments, and Black Fruits and Vegetables to quote the blurb.
I have tried miso
What am I missing? have any of you tried these techniques?
As an ex food technologist, OH is very dubious about some of them

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby ZeroCook » Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:55 pm

.
I bet you have tried quite a few.
If you've ever had soy sauce, vinegar, tabasco sauce, worcestershire sauce, sauerkraut for example, then you've had several of those.

Fermentation is simply a food preservation method that's been around since the year dot. Every culture and place has local fermentation methods and favourite fermented foods.

Most people in industrialised cultures don't ferment foods at home - they buy them, often unaware of how they are made.

I'm big fan and I diy.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby PatsyMFagan » Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:03 pm

I belong to a FB fermenting group, although I only make Kefir. (I know of at least on other on this group who makes their own too ;) ) Others on the FB group ferment almost anything they can get their hands on.

As far as I know, when stuff is preserved in vinegar, (onions, beetroot etc) it is pickled and when stuff is preserved in salt, it is fermented - so it seems that when my mum preserved excess runner beans in salt, they were fermented.

I disliked my own kimchi and sauerkraut and have since bought raw, organic sauerkraut... the jury is still out :roll:

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Sloe-Gin » Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:18 pm

I didn't realise that Tabasco was fermented. I will start by buying Kombucha.
I have had kefir. Perhaps I'm braver than I thought :D

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby karadekoolaid » Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:27 pm

I have never knowingly tried most of these Koji, Kombuchas, Shoyus, Misos, Vinegars, Garums, Lacto-Ferments, and Black Fruits and Vegetables to quote the blurb.

Well sauerkraut is, I believe, a lacto-ferment. Vinegar - I once made some pineapple vinegar. I regularly make an Andean hot sauce, made with fermented milk and buttermilk. A lot of hot sauces on the market are fermented ( Tabasco and Sriracha being two of them). I tried kombucha at a gourmet show a couple of years back and thought it was outstandingly ghastly.Never knowingly tried the others, however.
It could be another "gourmet foodie craze/ health kick", mind you, simply because some bright spark wrote a book about how the Koreans live to be 150 because they eat kimchi every day :lol: Remember the "sundried tomato" craze? Balsamic vinegar? The Mediterranean Diet?

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby scullion » Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:41 pm

yup, i do kefir (thank you patsy), kimchi, red and white wine vinegar (thank you ianinfrance) and preserved lemons.
sourdough (and ordinary yeast bread), cheese and yoghurt are also ferments. done those - other than having a go at cheesemaking using cultures (although i have recently bought a culture for that, along with a tempeh starter). a friend makes gorgeous hard cheeses and a damn fine haloumi - which i want to have a go at as i've been told it's one of the easier to start with.
i've got saurkraut in the fridge (albeit a bought one)
i'm not a big fan of kombucha - apart from the tea tang i find it goes vinegary before we get to drink it.

there are some really good books out there especially 'the art of fermentation' by sandor ellix katz - the bible of world food fermenting.
people often worry about poisoning themselves with fermented foods but it's far rarer than getting "ordinary' food poisoning. i'm a great fan - ferments are some of the foods necessary for gut health and increasing your microbiome.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Jul 19, 2021 7:12 pm

Kombucha, no - tea's bad enough with messing with it

I don't mind kefir normally, but wouldn't be bothered to make my own

I like the kind of cucumbers/gherkins that are fermented rather than pickled, and various East European fermented veg eaten as salads

Love kimchi and sauerkraut

As already mentioned, many chilli sauces are fermented, seldom met one I didn't like

Got 2 kinds of miso in the fridge, and I use them, also a bottle of Maggi seasoning as well as soy sauces

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Sloe-Gin » Mon Jul 19, 2021 7:37 pm

Well, I am learning! Thank you.
I won 2* great taste award for my preserved lemons in 2014. Never thought of them as fermented.
I use Maggi, soy and miso.
And sourdough, though I have no starter on the go at the moment.

It's an eye opener.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Jul 19, 2021 10:01 pm

The high priest of American fermented food is Sandor Katz, he has written several books and I remember find his episode of the Food Programme interesting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08xxfz5

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby MagicMarmite » Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:16 pm

Today's shopping had both kefir and sauerkraut in it.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Suffs » Sat Jul 24, 2021 10:47 am

A Gardeners World Forum regular has posted this query ... I've a feeling she has some immune system problems so I'm more than usually concerned ... does anyone have a view on what she's produced so far?



https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discus ... -it#latest

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby scullion » Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:05 am

according to s.e.katz's, 'art of fermentation', it's a natural yeast growth and should just be removed. they are sill edible but if it's left to grow it sends the veg mushy.
i can email you the pdf for you to pass on to her if you want.

it shouldn't have any detrimental effect on her immune system - if all the data about ferments is right the opposite would be true.
Last edited by scullion on Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Suffs » Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:06 am

Thank you Scully ... that'd be helpful :thumbsup

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby scullion » Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:16 am

done.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Suffs » Sat Jul 24, 2021 12:56 pm

Many thanks ... Pansyface is very grateful ... as she said, misquoting the other Mr Hancock, 'that's a whole armful' :lol:
Last edited by Suffs on Sat Jul 24, 2021 1:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby scullion » Sat Jul 24, 2021 1:03 pm

it's certainly a 'weighty tome' - or would be...
but it has all the information she needs and is a very interesting (but long) read. i think i got a bit over half way through before i started dipping into the chapters that were/are relevant to what i want to know at the time.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby PatsyMFagan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 1:42 pm

Suffs, if Pansyface uses facebook, then she could join 'UK Fermenting Friends' a group of like minded fermenters. There are a couple of real experts on there and if she joined, then posted her query, with a photo, they will know the best remedy .

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Suffs » Sat Jul 24, 2021 1:53 pm

Thank you Patsy :D ... I'm not sure if she does, but I'll certainly pass it on. :wave:

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby Renee » Sat Jul 24, 2021 4:37 pm

I've had most of those, but have given up making kefir using the grains. I made kombucha for a long time but also added a fruit tea bag along with a black or green tea bag. I have a jar of kimchi in the fridge which I had forgotten about.

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Re: Food fermentation

Postby herbidacious » Thu Aug 12, 2021 10:08 pm

I don't know how I missed this thread. I was thinking of making some kimchi - partly for health purposes (er after watching some tv programme on diets and the gut). I like the stuff I've bought from M&S but it's expensive.

Has anyone tried any recipes that they could point me to and recommend for a first attempt? Is it essential to use Kosher salt as a lot of recipes on line suggest?

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