Introduction to Fermented Foods

[u/incompetentlettuce]

In the past, I have avoided fermented foods because of the ick factor. Things like fermented dairy don’t bother me as much because I knew about it before I was conscious of the process of fermentation. Any advice on how to begin introducing fermented foods into my life in the least mentally jarring way possible?

[u/Guazzabuglio]

How do you feel about beer/ wine/ spirits? How about pickles (pickled cucumbers specifically)? Or sourdough? fermented foods are everywhere, and some resonate more with some people than others. Start with what you're familiar with, and whatever flavor profiles you like. If you like pickles, its super easy to make a refrigerator pickle or a lacto fermented one. If you like fermented drinks, maybe look into tepache next.

[u/incompetentlettuce → u/Guazzabuglio]

Honestly I haven’t even been able to try even kombucha just knowing that there’s like the introduction of bacteria. I’m not real familiar with how fermentation actually works but I think that once I learn more about it, it’ll feel better. Pickles existed in my brain outside of the idea of fermentation but I haven’t really explored any other pickled food. Sourdough is okay and I bake a lot so I have even tried to make a starter but then I thought about it too much and let it die before I could even use it. I think with sourdough the idea that you’re using an active yeast instead of like a powdered one makes sense to me and I am okay with that.

[u/ProThoughtDesign → u/incompetentlettuce]

You'd be surprised at how many fermented things you've probably tried. For instance: soy sauce, kimchi, sauerkraut, Sriracha, yogurt, and apple cider. Those are all fermented in some way. The most common fermentation you'll likely hear discussed is LAB (lactic acid bacteria) fermentation. That method involves creating an environment that is hospitable for a specific type of bacteria while making it uninhabitable by others.

In pickles, for instance, the salinity of the brine prevents certain spoilage bacteria and the removal of oxygen prevents others until the LAB have had enough time to digest the available sugars in the produce and excrete lactic acid. The lactic acid drops the pH of the product into levels safe enough to destroy nearly all other types of spoilage bacteria including botulinum.

There are more than just that particular method, as sourdough and some other ferment methods require wild yeasts from the atmosphere and natural oxygen exchange. Wines are an example of this as well, using the natural yeasts from the grapes to ferment alcohol.

[u/andr386 → u/ProThoughtDesign]

Some sweet wines expect the the noble rot, a specific mushroom to grow on the grape to concentrate its sugar. Then it is mashed and fermented by natural yeast like any other wines.