Discovering fermented sauces

In some parts of the world, lactic acid fermentation (the preserving technique used in sauerkraut) is widely practiced and produces many fantastic foods. For some reason it has never been widespread in the UK but Hugh & Fiona Osborne are big fans of the technique and use it to preserve their annual chilli glut as delicious sauces.

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LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION

Lactic Acid Fermentation sounds, frankly, weird, doesn’t it? However, some incredible foods are produced by this technique. As well as sauerkraut which we have probably all heard of kimchi is becoming more widely known now in the UK (a superb Korean dish that turns cabbage, radish, chilli and spices into a taste sensation). There are other foods that are more familiar that are made this way, for example Tabasco sauce and, of all things, yoghurt!

The process of lactic acid fermentation uses a naturally occurring probiotic bacteria (Lactic Acid Bacteria or LAB) to convert the sugars found in foods to lactic acid. Increasing the acidity of the food effectively pickles the food which inhibits the action of microorganisms that cause food spoilage (bacteria, mould, yeast etc.). The difference between pickling and Lactic Acid Fermentation is that pickling requires acid (usually vinegar) to be added whereas the Lactic Acid is created in the process by consuming sugar. This explains why yoghurt has a sharper taste than milk or cream as the natural sugars found in dairy are no longer there.

Lactic Fermentation requires an anaerobic environment. Okay we got a bit wordy there, but it means that it needs to happen away from oxygen. That doesn't have to be complex though. Sauerkraut was traditionally produced by covering chopped cabbage with salty water and putting a weight on top to keep the cabbage under the surface. It's a traditional peasant technique (which probably makes us traditional peasants) so improvisation and simplicity is the order of the day.

MAKING CHILLI SAUCE