101 Fabulous Fermented Foods

19 Comments

1. I have some questions though! I guess it might be covered in tips and tricks and stuff but through all the resources I have looked at my mind still can’t wrap around this simple concept, but not the making, but the eating it. Do you eat the fermented foods like a cold salad, as a side to your meal? If I fermented soup, can I warm it up without killing the good bacteria and the whole reason for making this food this way?
   I guess I need some practical application methods. I don’t really like sauerkraut, or at least the way the store bought versions taste so I never wanted to attempt something like it again. But I need the probiotics in real food. I get all hesitant and worried when it comes time to actually eat the food. Did I ferment it correctly or did I just waste all that food and time? Can I blend it to make a smoothie/juice? Right now I can’t even open the jar of veggies I made and it has been waiting in my fridge. Anyway, anything you feel like commenting on would be great. I love all the varieties in receipts but if I don’t have the confidence to eat the final product then I don’t know how successful I call myself.
   Thanks
   TR

   Reply

   1. I totally hear you – in fact, these questions are why I wanted to gather this list together in the first place. Fermented foods can take on so many different forms, flavors, and textures, that there’s bound to be something for everyone. 🙂

      The key here is to find what you like – and shredded vegetable ferments like sauerkraut are only one of many options. For example, you are wondering the best way to eat them and you mentioned soup. Let’s say you make borscht – you certainly could stir sauerkraut into it, even blend it in to make it smooth, but why not just use sour cream? Sour cream is a fermented food too – there’s no reason to eat sauerkraut if you don’t like it.

      And you mentioned a smoothie. That’s a great idea and a great way to eat fermented foods. Yogurt, kefir, and any of the fermented fruits listed above would do beautifully. And again – highly customizeable. For example, personally, I don’t like milk kefir but I love almost any variety of yogurt, so I only make smoothies with yogurt.

      Or maybe beverages are the way to go for you – water kefir, kombucha, etc. Or maybe cultured dairy – superbly yummy cheese, for example. My point is to just experiment until you find something you DO like and don’t worry about feeling like you “should” be eating any particular fermented food, lest you not “do it right.” There is no right way here, other than finding probiotic-rich foods you actually enjoy.

      And one last idea, if you really can’t bring yourself to eat any of your homemade ferments, then get some whey and just stir a bit of it into any food to get the probiotics without noticing them one bit. You can get whey by buying a large tub of plain yogurt, then spooning out any liquid that collects in it as you eat it (you can also strain it by hanging it in cheesecloth over a large bowl for a few hours). Stir the whey into anything – mustard, fresh salsa, jam, potato salad, tuna salad, even a glass of orange juice – and you’ll get a nice dose of probiotics without the texture or flavor of your food changing. Obviously, only stir in as much as the particular food can take without changing texture!

      So, now to address your questions of heat and safety of your homemade foods.

      You are correct – heat does damage the probiotics, but it’s not like it’s instantaneous. For example, by stirring sauerkraut into a bowl of hot soup, you’re not rendering it useless by any stretch of the imagination. It might not be as potent as if you ate it crisp and cold, but it’s still chock full of those good bacteria. If you simmer it in the soup for hours, however, you’ll likely kill them all. But think of sourdough – that’s baked at high temperatures for long periods of time. The bacteria may not be present, but the fact that those bacteria “pre-digested” much of the flour when they were alive in the dough still gives you great benefit and helps feed the good bacteria in your colon.

      And lastly, you’ll likely be able to tell if your ferment is safe or not. If it smells good and you don’t see any mold or funny colors (pink, black, orange, green, or blue – unless you’re making bleu cheese of course!) then you can be pretty sure it’s good to go. I would recommend investing in an airlock – the kind that sit on top of a mason jar usually cost about $10-20 depending on the kind you get. I felt MUCH more confident in my fermenting once I started using airlocks and you can observe through the jar easily. Also, if it smells good and you don’t see any wayward signs, but you’re still feeling unsure, then just take one bite (or add it to a smoothie!), set it in the refrigerator, and observe how you feel for a day. (I’m assuming you’re not fighting chronic illness of any sort…) The next day you can dive in and eat heartily. 🙂

      So, I hope all of that is helpful in some regard! {hugs}

      Reply

2. Thanks for the link love, Kresha! This is a great list–I’ll be sharing with my friends!

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3. Hi Kresha – Thank you so much for the link love!!! 🙂

   Reply

4. How did I not know that cream cheese is fermented? I love pickles. I guess that I should eat more fermented things. I lived in Korea for 6 months, but I never got into liking kimchi. I wish I did because it is so healthy. I remember when I lived there, my Korean boss telling me that when the whole SARS thing was going on, there were no SARS cases in Korea and she thought it had to do with Koreans eating kimchi 24/7. I don’t doubt that there is something true about that.How else does an entire nation not get sick when the rest of the world is getting it?

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5. What an amazing list. Thank you so much!

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6. Wow, quite a list. Thanks for all your hard work. Saving this one for later reference.

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8. Hi Kresha.

   Nice collection of recipes for fermented foods. I’ve consumed fermented vegetables daily for years and I’m always on the lookout for new, interesting recipes. This collection contains some nice recipes I’ve not seen before; I will try a few of them for sure.

   Thanks

   Reply
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12. I had a question… more like a concern i am just starting to learn about fermented foods due to i cannot afford to buy the supplements i need to clean some issues up with my gut and he said this would help. Well as i have a compromised immune system i was reading one of the recipes that sounded super yummy until i got to the part where she said if it starts to mold and its white don’t worry and just skim it off the top……… i was pretty grossed out and so was my friend . That doesn’t seem safe to me to tell people to just skim it off….. does it???????????

    Reply

    1. Well, it depends on what is fermenting. If the food itself is entirely submerged in brine and there’s white mold (not orange, not black, not green) on the top of the brine, it’s okay to scrape that off. But if the food is sticking up out of the brine and there’s mold on it, I typically toss it.

       That said, mold typically only happens on mason jar ferments or ferments that are left to sit in a bowl with just a tea towel or something like that where air is circulating around the ferment. I have come to *strongly* prefer (and recommend) using a fermentation lock or a system that doesn’t allow any oxygen to get to the food, as that exchange is what is going to allow for mold to grow. Also, these ferments tend to grow much higher percentages of beneficial bacteria, so it’s worth it to invest in some basic fermentation tools, especially if the thought of mold grosses you out. 🙂

       Does that help?

       Reply
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15. This is such a great list! When I first started looking into fermented foods, I was blown away by how many things we eat are fermented. I have a lot of fun trying new things and finding new ways to incorporate them in my diet. If you are looking for some new recipes, check these out: http://spoiledtoperfection.com/recipes.php

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    1. Your recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes with Bubbies Sauerkraut looks yummy! 🙂

       Reply
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