Meditating on the Microbe

As I sit here drinking my fermented beverage — a glass of Sangiovese — I am thinking about fermentation and the microbes that make this process possible.

Fermentation, in addition to being a way to preserve food without refrigeration, also increases the bioavailability of nutrients. In other words, it makes food more nutritious. It even creates new nutrients.

"As they go through their life cycles, microbial cultures create B vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and biotin," according to Sandor Ellix Katz in his book Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.

Katz, a self-proclaimed fermentation fetishist, exalts the microbe and criticizes the germaphopic culture that has antibacterial soaps in every home. The problem, Katz says, is that every time we remove bacteria from the surfaces of our skin, we're more susceptible to harmful bacteria. We make ourselves a "blank slate" for harmful bacteria to come and take over. Then, new bacteria develops that is more resistant.

In this culture of rampant germ warfare, fermentation provides an opportunity to make peace with and cultivate a working relationship with the vast microbial world, inviting it into our diets, and strengthening our digestive systems in the process.

Some fermented foods you may already enjoy:
yogurt
cheese
vegetable krauts/kimchis
miso
tempeh
tamari
sourdough breads

Here is a video of Sandor Ellix Katz giving simple, step-by-step instructions on making sauerkraut. I'm going to give this a whirl.

For more information on fermentation, go here or check out Katz's website: www.wildfermentation.com