The Magical Transformation: Exploring the Ancient Art of Fermentation

That everything is transformed, it is a fact. And that, if a food gets moldy because it has been forgotten in any place in our cupboards, it is a reality. Fermenting a fruit, a cereal, a meat, a fish… Who could have come up with such a feat? Who knows? The first traces of fermentation date back to the year 4,000 BC (read the origin of beer or wine) but, until then, which came first: bread or beer?

Looking for theories that confirm how and why fermented drinks or snacks arose is to end up confessing that everything possibly arose from forgetfulness. And certain spontaneous bacteria took advantage of that forgetfulness and began their particular transformation process.

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For this reason, when we talk about fermentation, we cannot help but associate it with rotten food, full of mold and with all the ballots of being sent to the trash. However, the controlled and measured fermentation is pure magic. It is to be able to transform the flavors, the aromas, the textures knowing how to master microbes, fungi and bacteria. Thus, today, fermentation is one of the most modern and necessary old techniques in our diet. “Fermented foods prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and toxins. They are preservatives and good companions of the intestinal flora” This was the message that, in 2016, the chef Mario Sandoval (two Michelin stars at the Coque restaurant, Madrid) and the journalist and historian, Miguel Ángel Almodóvar, launched when they released the book Gourmet Fermented. The basics of the paleo diet (Singular Book Alliance). In this book, a chef and a journalist came together to investigate what foods can improve your state of health and mood. The aim was to present the reader with a then unusual recipe book where the proposal was to consume more vegetable protein, less trans fat, eat less treated foods and, therefore, more natural. The result: 60 recipes, cocktails and desserts.

Stuffed. Photograph of the book ‘The Fundamentals of the Paleodiet’, by Mario Sandoval and Miguel Ángel Almodóvar (Editorial Alianza). Felix Soriano

But before this book appeared, one of the first references that came to Spain on the subject of fermentation was that of the American writer, Sandor Ellix Katz. It was about pure fermentation (Gaia Publisher). That small volume with a white cover where the first recipes for how to make kefir, yogurt, cheese or vinegar at home were revealed to us, went much further than a recipe book lacking photographs; it really was a manifesto on a new way of understanding food. Hence, years later, and after the success of the first edition, the second part of this book came out: The Art of Fermentation. A much more voluminous manual where already from the subtitle it was announced what the reader was going to find inside: “depth of the concepts and fermentative processes of the whole world”. The book is one of those essential jewels for those who want to start not only preparing their first fermented products, but also for those who want to answer the many whys involved in ingredient transformation techniques.

‘The art of fermentation’, by Sando Elliz Katz (Gaia Editorial).

In a way of understanding life goes the book Los fermentados, by dietician and communicator Marta Vergés. In this issue you will find 30 recipes that will make you control the technique of food preservation to be able to incorporate them into our way of nourishing ourselves. From rich and healthy desserts to drinks made from natural ingredients. The book is perfect for those who want to start in this world. Each recipe is accompanied by the beautiful photography of the stylist and photographer María A. Torres.

Cover of ‘The fermented. A gift for the body’, by Marta Vergés.@torrespolophoto

We eat ferments without question, not only the aforementioned beer or wine, but other everyday foods such as coffee, cheese, chocolate, bread, ciders, meads, sauerkraut or kimchis (in certain parts of the world). , garum, misos (in Japan), vinegars… And now, we are signing up for trends like kombucha, for example. Wanting to make bread, cheese or kombucha at home is to be aware of the latest culinary trends of the 21st century. That is why the new launch of the Cinco Tintas publishing house is very successful: Ferment. Fundamentals and Techniques of an ancient art, by Roberto Ruiz Moreno. The author wrote in this book: “Microorganisms preserve and change our perspective on food, giving it new colours, flavors and aromas and, ultimately, converting it into new ‘living’ foods, whose properties are beneficial to our body and to us. they take care of from the inside”. That’s how it is. This book is a revelation and a definitive manual, well edited, with very illustrative photographs, where many answers and basic tips are given to achieve fermentation at home.

Cover of ‘Ferment: Fundamentals and Techniques of an Ancient Art’, by Robert Ruiz Moreno.

Roberto Ruiz, the author, has a long background in fermentation issues, among other stops in his professional career is having participated in elBulliLab together with Ferrán Adrià (hence the foreword to this book is by the Spanish chef). Along with some 50 different, easy and very well narrated recipes, there are several explanations for the possible mistakes that we can make when fermenting or some of the necessary answers to be able to turn our kitchen into a small and homemade laboratory.

Speaking of laboratories, for years, what is one of the best restaurants in the world, Noma (in Copenhagen), created an R&D specialized in ferments. There, the super-starred chef Redzepi and David Zilber, director of the department, have spent years researching and developing fermented products for use in haute cuisine. From all these investigations was born one of the essential books for professionals, students and scholars of gastronomy, The Noma Fermentation Guide (editorial Neo Person).

‘The Noma Fermentation Guide’, by René Redzepi and David Zilber.

The manual is one of those jewels to be kept with care and used with analysis in the kitchen. In it, the authors reveal about 100 recipes, many of them are part of some of the great dishes of the three Michelin Stars; others are the answer to how to make misos, vinegars, lactic ferments or haute cuisine koji. The edition is precious, with more than 500 photographs, step by step of the fermentation processes, which will help us to understand not only how the natural processes are, but also to incorporate the new cooking techniques and their clothing to the successful result of the fermentation. : vacuum machines, temperature control, measurement thermometers. With all this, creation of fermented plum skin powder, garum with mushrooms, milky grapes or rose petal vinegars, for example.

Sara Cucala is a writer, filmmaker and journalist specializing in gastronomy. She is the creator of one of the first gastronomy and travel blogs, she has written numerous books, coordinated the culinary content of TVE’s afternoon magazine and directed several films and documentaries. She is the founder and co-owner of the gastronomic bookstore and cooking school to point.

2023-08-27 04:02:14
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