Fermentation & preservation

Fermentation & Preserving covers two related but distinct things.

Preserving is about stopping time, through pickling in vinegar, salting, drying, smoking, preserving with sugar and bottling. The aim is for an ingredient to be much the same in March as it was in August.

Fermentation does the opposite. Microorganisms are allowed to work and the ingredient becomes something different from what it was, often considerably more flavourful. Sauerkraut, kimchi, sourdough, miso, soy sauce, vinegar, kombucha and garum are all products of controlled decay.

Sandor Katz laid the foundations with Wild Fermentation and later The Art of Fermentation from 2012, the category's theoretical reference work, which approaches the processes through cultural history and microbiology rather than primarily through recipes.

The Noma Guide to Fermentation from 2018 by René Redzepi and David Zilber does the opposite, showing every stage in photographs, from lacto fermented vegetables to koji, miso style pastes made from peas and garum made from insects. It is a major reason why fermentation vessels can now be found in so many Swedish kitchens.

In practice, it is simpler than its reputation suggests. The right percentage of salt, an oxygen free environment and patience will take you a long way.