Month: November 2022
Fermented Foods
By Teri Clayton
Uncovering how to make fermented foods is frequently the beginning of a whole new world of food. The journey often begins with super simple ‘can’t go wrong’ fermentations involving salt, water and white cabbage – to make sauerkraut – but it soon turns into the excitement of fermented lemons, chilli’s, fizzy on the tongue salsa’s and onwards!
Fermented foods were a way of life for our ancestors – who would preserve food over winter, sometimes for many winters – through the power of salt and lactic acid. Not only was this practical and lifesaving, it also enhanced the nutritional profile of the foods, as well as rendering them more digestible. Pre-fermented foods offer our gut a head start in breaking down and digesting nutrients – in effect offering us some of the benefits that animals with multiple stomachs or longer intestines benefit from. The more our food is pre-digested, the more our bodies get a head start in processing it.
Fermenting food supports the creation of energy rich fatty acids derived from cellulose and metabolism boosting B-vitamins, to bone and tooth building vitamin K and powerful immune support in the form of colicins and other secondary microbial metabolites.
In many ways learning how to ferment food could lead to an evolutionary leap in human health and longevity, given the diverse range of foods we now have access to 24/7.
Moving humanity forward
Human beings have possibly reached the top of the food chain, because of our evolutionary capacity to use tools and fire. Our ability to start fires and the physical capacity to grip, with precision, between our thumbs and fingers, has made modern feats of engineering possible. When we combine this with our connection to inspiration and our mental capacity to problem solve, along with our desire and will to refine tools, we see where we have gained significant leverage upon the Earth. Where birds need wings to fly – we make flying machines, where fish need fins and gills to swim – we make flippers, diving equipment and submarines. Human ingenuity knows no bounds, yet in our excitement to create a life full of invention and exploration – we have lost connection with the ground beneath our feet. We have spent so long using tools to expand our reach as fast and as far as possible, that we have forgotten the art of using tools in the simplest and most life enhancing way.
Much of the overwhelming and unnecessary level of complication we are now experiencing in our human systems, would never have become such an entangled web, if we had focused on ‘needs’ before ‘wants’. Humans now need to discover and refine the most appropriate and simplest use of tools in order to live in greater harmony with Nature. In regenerative agriculture, for example, farmers can work with a range of tools to restore soil health, from equipment to facilitate the restoration of nature’s mob grazing patterns, to soil monitoring technologies that help us build a wealth of knowledge and fine tune our techniques and tools further.
When it comes to everyday healthy living we now need to consider how we can meet the urgent need for greater balance, harmony and diversity within our bodies, naturally and with the simplest tools available.
One of the simplest tools, when it comes to enhancing human nutrition involves using the fermentation processes.
Given that practically all foods can be pre-digested through some kind of fermentation process – could widespread adoption of using fermented foods offer us a leap in evolution towards greater health and wellbeing? Could harnessing and mastering fermentation processes offer us a way to evolve into greater harmony and balance with nature and wellbeing? Could this pre-digestion unlock and support us to absorb far more nourishment from our food? I think it could.
Where ruminants have several stomachs – we can use tools in the form of several fermentation jars!
The benefits of fermented foods go way beyond preservation, enhanced digestibility and added value nutrition and flavour – they also support the beneficial microbes in the gut microbiome, which is good for our overall well being, mental health (1) and evolution too.
According to anthropologist Claude Levi-Straus it is possible that humanity moved from nature to culture after discovering the fermentation art of mead making. Where honey in a bee hive is natural, once it is gathered in a suitable receptacle and fermented into mead – it is then known as cultured. Human culture is so tied to ‘cultured’ foods that we simply could not maintain human civilisations without them. From bread, wine, cheese and yoghurt to coffee and chocolate – fermentation plays an enormous role in human lives.
Let’s first explore the simplest and most humble fermented food, that we can all make at home, to create our own cultures with – Sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut is simply white cabbage left to ferment over a period of weeks (sometimes months or years in some cultures) in brine solution, until it develops into a tangy, lactic acid rich and utterly delicious preserved, living, vitamin rich food.
Teeming with beneficial lactobacilli, this living culture is a dietary staple in Germany and much of Central Europe. Sauerkraut is a great source of vitamin C and was often used by sailors taking very long trips, in order to prevent scurvy. Its tart but zesty flavour and satisfying crunch means that most people find it pleasant to eat and in fact more-ish. I know I find myself craving it, as does my daughter who will eat it straight from the jar, as an enjoyable snack.
I found it fascinating to discover that Sauerkraut goes through several dominant cultures in a mini succession cycle before climaxing in the lactobacilli species.
The fermentation begins with bacteria known as Coliform and as these produce acids, they culture then moves over to being populated by Leuconostoc bacteria, with the continued reduction in pH towards greater acidity the culture eventually after a week or more begins to move towards a lactobacilli predominant culture. Anyone that has tasted a coliform or leuconostoc predominant culture will be familiar with the not quite ready ‘trump’ like smell and taste! Yet when the culture arrives at its maximal sweet spot, the smell and flavour becomes crisp, refreshing and zesty!
To learn how to make your own sauerkraut at home I suggest taking a short course if anyone offers them locally or buying a fermentation ‘how to’ book. I recommend Pascal Baudar or Sandor Ellix Katz. The processes are simple, but there is a broad variation in styles and methodologies used
Though it is really really easy to make sauerkraut, getting started confidently and with a good basic understanding will support you to thoroughly enjoy learning (and eating) the art of fermentation.
Those who love fermentation may well never leave behind their Sauerkraut appreciation, but there is a whole world of fermentation to explore from beers and wines, fermented grains, yoghurts and cheeses through to fermented meats and fish.
One of my favourite foods is a fermented salmon known as gravadlax, but then there’s the smelly, but amazing specialist sausages, timeless corned beef and beautifully simple – melt in the mouth delicious – salted beef.
For those who are confident in fermentation and are ready to progress to fermented meats, find yourself a reputable on-line or in-person course in fermented meats (there are a great variety of courses available) and get started. Corned beef is ultra simple and the homemade stuff is nothing like shop brought – which is truly an absolute delicacy.
For making your own corned beef you will need a nice piece of brisket – check out our flavourful, rich brisket offerings here!
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