On Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 Dig In! hosted Christopher Wong of Young Urban Farmers, Inc, to learn about the history, theory and practice of fermentation. Christopher gave us a hands on work shop to make sauerkraut, soda, and yogurt with the lacto fermenting process. Students and community members came together to talk about the ancient practice and to cut, squeeze and can some foods.
Wikipedia defines fermentation as: Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alchols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol.
There are as many ways to ferment as there is food! So much so you’ve probably had fermented food, and didn’t realize they were fermented. Some common fermented foods are: breads, cheeses, yogurts, beer, fish sauce, pickles, vinegar, kimchi, mead, soy sauce, sour cream, and sauerkraut.
Chris also spoke about the historical and cultural significance of fermentation. Most cultures have a fermented food this is culturally specific and has a long history rooted in that culture. With fermentation you can experience the history of these cultures.
Fermentation is super easy to do yourself. Here are some instructions that Chris made for us on how to make soda, sauerkraut, and yogurt. Can you trace where these foods are from?
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