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What are these foods?
Sauerkraut is lacto-fermented, so are so-called “malossol” pickles, as well as pickles: olives, capers, etc. The English term pickle by which they are designated comes from the Dutch pekel, which means “brine”. Indian pickles, Spanish encurtidos, Korean kimchi and Japanese tsukemonos are lacto-fermentations. Today, to go faster, most pickles and gherkins are made with vinegar, but in the past, it was the lacto-fermentation that gave them their delicious acidity, not the vinegar (which is, by the way, also a fermented product). Likewise the famous Polish or Russian soup called borscht, with a sweet and sour flavor, in which beets and vinegar are put, was formerly based on lacto-fermented beets, and there was therefore no need to add the vinegar to give acidity.
Meat salted in brine, such as ham, bacon, kassler and other semi-salted meats are also lacto-fermentations. It is also lactic fermentation which produces nuoc mam type fish sauces, salted anchovies, smoked salmon (which is salted before being smoked), caviar, bottarga and cured herring…
You can lacto-ferment any vegetable: cabbage and pickles, obviously, but also green beans, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, squash and zucchini, eggplants, cucumbers, turnips, radishes , celery, aromatic herbs; but also fruits: melon as in Turkey, plums as in Japan, cherries in Central Europe, apples and pears… well, practically all edible plants. It’s very easy to do, it requires no energy: no need to heat to sterilize, no need for a fridge or freezer. You just need salt and a clean container.
Is it dangerous?
You can miss canned canned goods, and it is even very dangerous, even fatal if botulinum toxin appears. Frozen food can also become dangerous if the freezer breaks down and restarts unexpectedly. But lacto-fermentation is absolutely 100% safe! We do not know of a single case in the world, present or past, of illness or death due to the absorption of a lacto-fermented food. It’s easy: if the fermentation did not go correctly, or if it did not take place, the food would then take on a strange color, a foul appearance and above all an absolutely repulsive smell and flavor, which means that ‘no human being would think of eating it. It’s impossible to go wrong.
So I summarize: increased nutrient content, absolute food safety, no need for energy to implement it. What other means of conservation do the same? Neither canning nor freezing can compete with that. Not only has it never poisoned anyone, but it has also saved populations from disease and famine.
Do you have to live in the countryside?
In the past, lacto-fermented preserves were made in large jars, which were kept in the cellar for the whole winter. We gradually took the quantities we needed. Today, living conditions have changed, and if you live in an apartment in the city, you can very well make them in glass jars with mechanical closure and rubber seal, such as Le Perfect. Instead of taking from a large jar, you open a jar when you need it. It’s such a childish achievement that I wonder why it disappeared.
How do we do ?
You need jars, fresh vegetables, salt, water and… about 15 minutes. Do you think you can put it all together? So I will explain everything to you in detail in future posts.
Marie-Claire Frédéric, author of the book “Neither raw nor cooked”, Alma publisher.
>> Video tutorial on lactofermentation
Her training in Art History did not prevent Marie-Claire Frédéric from becoming a culinary journalist, as her gluttony was the strongest. Her recipes have appeared in several cooking magazines (Guide Cuisine, Gala gourmand, Intense) and today in Cuisine Actuelle. She has also published around ten books with First Editions, including: “La Ronde des Macarons” and “Ultra Fondant”. She is interested in everything related to cuisine and gastronomy, its history, its geography, its relationship with societies, culture, popular traditions, and all human activities. In 2008, she created the blog “Du miel et du sel” through which she tries to convey her passion for eating well and homemade food. And in 2014, a new blog “Neither raw nor cooked” complements the book of the same title, providing recipes, stories and news concerning fermented foods. It’s still a matter of indulgence to be interested in fermented foods, bread, wine, cheese, sausage, olives and sauerkraut, caviar or nuoc mam. But not only ! It is also a matter of human sciences. Fermented foods have fascinated her since she observed their exceptional nature in food, of which they represent, all over the world, the aristocracy. They are full of paradoxes, both particular and universal, natural and cultural, delicious or repugnant, but always identity-related and highly linked to culture. In addition, these are foods everywhere considered to bring health and long life. Before starting her study, she did not imagine to what extent it would take her towards horizons reaching into the depths of history and human civilizations.
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