2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Wild fermentation is called natural fermentation without the use of artificial yeast, yeast and other additives. This is the process of converting starch and sugars into lactic acid only with the help of natural microorganisms around us. In this lactic acid environment can only exist beneficial bacteria for humans.
Wild fermentation takes place always and everywhere, it is a daily miracle. Microscopic bacteria are present in every sip of air and in every bite of food we ingest. No matter how much we try to destroy them with antibacterial soaps, antifungal creams and antibiotics, it is impossible to get rid of them completely.
Bacteria are essential for basic life processes. All large creatures use them, as well as other microorganisms, to perform many life-sustaining and self-defense functions. We humans are in a symbiotic relationship with these single-celled life forms, and we cannot exist without them. Each of us contains trillions of microbes that make up the collective unit known as the microbiota. The microbiota turns food into nutrients that our bodies can absorb, synthesizes essential nutrients so we don't need to get them from food, protects us from potentially dangerous organisms, teaches our immune system to function properly and regulates most physiological processes in ways about which we still know very little.
We are not only dependent on microorganisms, but we are also their descendants: according to popular belief, all life on earth comes from bacteria. Microorganisms are our ancestors and allies. They support soil fertility and form an integral part of the life cycle. Without them, there would be no life on the planet.
Some microorganisms are capable of producing exceptional culinary transformations. Microscopic creatures, invisible to our eyes, create a variety of intriguing scents for us. Fermentation gives us many basic products such as bread and cheese and our favorite delicacies, including chocolate, coffee, wine and beer. Countless exotic fermented delicacies enjoy people from all cultures around the world. Among other things, fermentation is used to increase the shelf life of food and make it more digestible and nutritious.
Live, unpasteurized, fermented foods deliver directly to our digestive system a beneficial probiotic with bacteria that help replenish and diversify our microbiota. In addition, new nutrients are synthesized during fermentation. As microbial cultures progress throughout their life cycle, they produce B vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, and biotin. Fermentation is often credited with the ability to synthesize vitamin B12, which is not found in plant foods. However, some scientists claim that the substance, which is found in fermented soybeans and vegetables and has been identified as B12, is in fact an inactive "analogue" known as pseudovitamin B12.
Perhaps the most valuable in fermented foods are the bacteria themselves that carry out the fermentation process and have probiotic properties, ie stimulate the body's biological resources. Many fermented foods are densely populated with a variety of biologically active microbial communities that interact with our microbiome in ways we know very little about. This interaction can improve digestion and immunity and promote mental health by helping our health in many other ways.
Not all fermented foods stay alive until they enter your body. Some of them by definition cannot contain live crops. For example, bread goes through a baking process that kills the organisms present in it. However, many fermented foods can be consumed without processing when their nutritional value is particularly high.
On wild fermentation all vegetables and fruits are subject. There are usually some rules for fermentation, but not exact recipes - it's all a matter of taste and experimentation.
How is wild fermentation done?
Unlike pickles and any other pickles, wild fermentation of vegetables is done only with raw vegetables and brine from water and salt. In other words, like our simple recipe for sauerkraut. Bacteria that are harmful to humans do not grow in a salty environment, and those that are good for us love it. From this point of view, salt turns out to be the ideal preservative in our food. In the process of fermentation, a lactic acid environment is formed, in which only bacteria that are useful to us grow and multiply.
You can experiment with all kinds of vegetables and combinations and in all quantities - from jars to cans. You can even add fruits such as pears, quinces, apples, medlars, etc., although not everyone likes their taste. Spices and herbs will not only improve the taste of fermented vegetables, and some of them (such as horseradish, ginger and mustard) are an additional preservative. You only need to properly prepare the brine in which will ferment vegetables. It is recommended to boil the required amount of water and dissolve the salt in it beforehand. After cooling the salt water, it is poured over the vegetables.
The amount of salt depends on your individual tastes, but it is recommended not to be less than 30 grams per 1 liter of water. Preferred by most people is 40 grams of salt per 1 liter of water, and some put more. For softer and waterier vegetables such as cucumbers, the amount of salt should be higher and can reach 70-80 grams per liter. The most preferred types of salt for fermentation are the Bulgarian sea and Celtic salt.
After washing the vegetables, you cut them and arrange them in the dish in which you will wild fermentation takes place, it remains to fill them with cooled brine. The brine should cover them completely, and it is good to put something on top to press them so that they do not float - so they can mold.
For larger quantities, prepared in larger containers and cans, cover the dish with a lid, leave to cool and stir or pour over the first days, as with cabbage. If you make small quantities in jars that will be consumed quickly, then do not screw the caps tightly so that the vegetables can "breathe". Leave the jars at room temperature, arranging them in a deeper container, because when fermentation begins, it can leak out of the brine. You can shake or stir them every day.
The higher the temperatures, the faster the fermentation. You can tell that some processes are developing when bubbles come to the surface of the water. After a few days you can start trying the brine and vegetables - they will be ready to eat when you like the taste. When you want to stop the process, you have to transfer fermented vegetables with brine in the cold - refrigerator, basement, balcony, etc.
Other types of wild fermentation
Typical example of wild fermentation is the original Bulgarian yogurt. Although products in stores often do not meet the criteria for wild fermentation, many people make homemade yogurt at home. In the past, there were also known ways to "ferment" milk with plants such as snowdrops, apple blossoms and other forgotten methods.
In recent years, popular Asian and other foreigners have entered our country products of wild fermentation such as kombucha, kimchi, tempeh, miso, kefir, etc. Unlike the method of fermentation of vegetables with salt and water, for their preparation most of these products require the appropriate leaven (starter), which originates from the homeland of the product.
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