Fabulous FERMENTATION

Follow this cooking trend to create delicious dishes your taste buds – and your gut – will love

- By RAE RITCHIE

Some of us may not know kimchi from kombucha - but we all recognise blue Stilton cheese and beer. What they all have in common, however, is fermentation, which is suddenly a big trend, both among home cooks and in restaurants. So, what exactly is it?

Ancient preserve

Fermentation has been used by humans to create food and drink for thousands of years. One of the oldest forms of preservation, it was vital in the days before canning and refrigeration made it easier to keep produce edible for longer periods of time. Ferment milk, for instance, and you can make yogurt or cheese.

As a result, fermented foods are staples in cuisines around the world, from sauerkraut (fermented cabbage, sometimes including carrot) in Europe to kimchi (a similar product) in Korea.