Learn Fermentation While You Stay At Home!

2.7 billion have been called to stay home throughout the world including 130 crore Indians due to the spread of the pandemic: Coronavirus. It’s the time to test a technique that has lately regained its popularity, mainly driven by anti-waste trends and healthy cooking: fermentation! It is the oldest method of food preservation. The entire family can be involved in testing this long forgotten, organic and natural method while they spend time together at home.

Lacto-fermentation takes place when lactic acid bacteria transform carbohydrates into lactic acid. Food processed in this manner obtain a more or less pronounced tart flavour depending on the length of fermentation. The process being natural, cost-effective and involving no cooking, allows for obtaining food of high nutritional quality, with excellent health benefits, in particular for the digestive system. It is also a good alternative to freezing and sterilization.

The lacto-fermentation can be used to preserve a wide variety of vegetables and even certain types of fruit. For example, in French gastronomy, one can mention sauerkraut. More exotic examples include kefir, Kimchi, soy sauce, black tea or pickles.

Health benefits

Various benefits of lacto-fermentation include:

This preservation method does not use heat, therefore the enzymes in food are not altered and the minerals are better assimilated upon consumption.

The high enzyme content allows “breaking” the larger molecules that the body usually takes longer to digest, making the product easily digestible.

The number of vitamins and lactobacilli is increased: bacteria produce vitamins during the fermentation process and these foods are an excellent source of probiotics, necessary for the proper balance of the intestinal flora.

The concentration of nitrites, nitrates and pesticides harmful to health is reduced.

For intolerant people particularly, the fermentation obtained in the making of sourdough bread decreases the phytic acid content of cereals used.