For those of you urban folk who lack the backyard or any yard at all, don’t you worry! The opportunity to raise or grow your own food is still available. And the best part of all is the ease with which you can create healthy foods at low cost and even lower energy input. Welcome to the pungent world of fermentation!

Unlike canning which requires a substantial amount of time to pursue, fermentation is as easy as digging a hole and throwing raw food in it. If this sounds absurd to you, have you ever tried kimchi? In fact, you might be surprised to learn that some of you have eaten “rotten” foods in the past. If you’ve ever consumed sauerkraut or yogurt or alcohol you have in fact, digested “rotten” food. If you see where I’m going with this, you might suggest that ‘rotten’ is a bit crass of a description word. And so I think it’s appropriate to introduce fermentation.

Like canning or freezing or curing, fermentation is a method of preserving food. The process is older than human history, since all foods have found themselves rotting in some place at some time. Once humans picked up on the effects of fermentation, the manipulation of microorganisms began. Now, I’m no expert on this subject, no expert at all. But I did get myself a ceramic crock the other day. And we did receive a copy of Sandor Katz’ Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods for our wedding. So, I’m definitely on my way to becoming a practitioner, but no expert.

My interest in fermentation is three-fold. At the most basic level, we received the book and it’s a great read and really inspires us to try fermenting foods. Another reason for the interest is the possibility of learning other culture’s preservation techniques and culinary habits. Aside from yogurt and sauerkraut, we Americans are not so engaged with the fermented world. Yes, we have beer, wine and cider. But, there are so many different foods that people have fermented over the years. I just think its a shame that all we have to show is lots of booze.

Anyways, the third hook that pulled us to fermentation is the nutritional benefits of eating these foods. Not surprisingly, the medical establishment teamed up with agribusiness to demonize the historic healthy benefits of eating foods buzzing with live microorganisms. These bacteria are not all bad, as we are told in school and at the clinic. In fact, there are such things are “good bacteria,” bugs (if you will) that help the body digest foods and absorb nutrients. Though I must admit that our Western palates are no longer in favor of pungent foods like kimchi or sauerkraut. Thus, the diminished popularity of fermented foods could also be attributed to the rise in highly processed, sugary foods. Why eat sour when you can eat sweet?

The addition of the simple ceramic crock to our modern kitchen of culinary wizardry is awesome. I am very excited to try the recipes in Katz’ book and of course, even more excited to share the process and results with you. Since so much of my time in the kitchen is devoted to preparing time-consuming meals, it will be nice to make a side dish that sits in its own liquid for days and weeks at a time. All I have to do is cut up some veggies, add some salt and wait. Now that I think about it, it’s rather ironic that fermented foods are not so popular in America. You barely have to cook anything. It’s cheap to make; and while it ferments you can sit around and watch TV. Maybe fermented foods will be the wave of the future! Or…maybe not.

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2. A Successful Cooking Class
3. Filling up the freezer
4. The Truth About Agave Nectar
5. The New Year (weekly menu 15)

Tags: "ethnic food", fermentation, Nutrition