Fermented food products are a wonderful addition to any diet. Learn the definition and how to add fermented foods to your daily routine.
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What is the meaning of fermented food?
Our ancestors used to ferment foods to help preserve them. Every culture in the world has ferments on the menu. To ferment something is to allow the natural good bacteria and yeasts that exists in our environment to chemically change food into something else. In alcoholic beverages fruit and grain sugars are turned into alcohol.
Examples of fermented foods
There are many examples of fermented foods, some of my favorites include sauerkraut, sourdough, yogurt, kimchi, soy sauce, beer, wine, cheese, sriracha, miso and vinegar’s. Fermentation creates a unique sour flavor enjoyed in many cultures. Fermented foods have been used in all of history to extend the shelf life of foods across the world. These delicious foods help to round out the flavor profile of any diet. To add some umami to food, I like to add a bit of ferment, it makes the flavor so much fuller. Yogurt adds lots of flavor to bread. Miso and soy sauce help add a lot of flavor to foods like stir-fry, soups, meats and sauces. Whey a bi-product of Greek yogurt adds flavor and nutrients to soups. Fermented peppers on pizza, I say yes. How about beer in bread or cheese dip? The list is endless.
What happens during the process of fermentation?
Basically carbohydrates are converted into alcohol or acids. Yeast and bacteria eat the carbohydrates and cause a chemical change in the food. The microorganisms do this all without oxygen because they don’t like oxygen. This conversion of carbohydrate and starches helps preserve my food and creates enzymes that assist my body in processing the starches and the carbohydrates.
Three types of fermentation
There are 3 types of fermentation and I have dabbled in all three. A little practice, time and attention and each type can be mastered. My advice is to master one thing at a time and they become easy like anything else.
Lactic acid ferments
- This type of fermentation is not called lacto-fermention due to lactose in the ferment but due to the Lactobacillus bacteria that causes the fermentation and creates the lactic acid.
- Some of my favorite fermented foods are sauerkraut, kimchi, sriracha and fermented peppers. Salt is used to inhibit mold and bad bacteria growth but the beneficial bacteria uses it. The types of vegetables often fermented in salt are raw cabbage, peppers, carrots, cauliflower , asparagus and green beans. Most garden vegetables can often be fermented with salt, you’d be surprised. Ever had pizza beans? No? My favorite way to enjoy fermented green beans.
- Yogurt, cheese and kefir also create lactic acid but use a starter culture instead of salt. I make yogurt almost weekly. Kefir is a very easy ferment from this category as well. Dairy that may expire can have a new life by making yogurt or kefir. Most cheeses are considered lacto-ferments as well.
- Sourdough falls within the lactic acid ferment category. A sourdough starter is easy to make with just water and flour. More on that in another article. I love sourdough it makes grains so much easier to digest. I have expanded more and more into using sourdough recipes exclusively, to ensure my grains have been fermented before consuming. This makes grains have a lower glycemic index. Fresh milled grains are even better. I currently use my Vitamix and grain container to mill my own wheat.
Acetic acid fermentation.
Acetic acid fermentation includes products such as apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar and kombucha.
This type of fermented food helps me create other wonderful foods full of flavor. Salad dressing anyone? I love all kinds of vinegar and learning to make my own is on my list of skills I wish to acquire. I have made apple cider vinegar but it’ not part of my current routine.
I do make kombucha weekly and is a wonderful fermented food I happily added to my kitchen arsenal. My oldest daughter loves kombucha and it is a refreshing bubbly drink that also has fantastic gut health benefits.
Ethanol and alcohol fermentation.
The last fermentation type is the process that creates ethanol/alcohol as a byproduct instead of an acid. Alcoholic beverages are created with this fermentation. I love wine and beer, how about you? This process uses yeast. Instead of the carbohydrates and starches being converted into acids they are converted to alcohol. Grains and fruits are the usual foods fermented in this type of process. Alcohol may not be not as beneficial and should probably be restricted a bit.
A wide variety of delicious products are created with a variety of grains and fruits. Mead is made with honey and grains, beer with a variety of grains and wine with fruits. I haven’t done much in this type of fermentation, but plan to make my own mead, ale and wine in the future but probably not for daily use.
What makes fermented food good for me?
Speaking of gut health benefits mentioned previously, the fermentation process creates enzymes within the fermented food that helps digest our food. The carbohydrates and starches are broken down making them easier to digest, lactic and acetic acids especially assist in digestion.
Fermented foods are full of probiotics promoting gut micro-biome health. It’s suggested that our micro-biome assists in keeping some of the bad guys like candida and viruses from taking over our bodies and is a major player in our immune health. I have 2 daughters who had some significant digestive issues, one had a doctor prescribe probiotics. I thought it would be a much better idea to get them eating more fermented foods and in turn making our guts all healthier.
Are you ready to start fermenting? Keep watching, I’ll be posting my recipes…
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