A few weeks ago, I took “Intro to Fermentation” at a local San Francisco cooking school, and - not to be dramatic - it blew my mind.
I’ve been a huge fan of probiotic rich foods for a long time, since I discovered their benefits of a healthy gut against my rheumatoid arthritis. It’s been one of my cooking resolutions to try making my own sauerkraut, and after one absolutely foul failed attempt I was thrilled that I was able to make time to attend this class to learn more. There’s such a community of “fermentos” (people who ferment foods) here in the Bay Area, that I knew it was going to be a fun class.
The class started with a lecture on the history and the science behind of fermented foods. I was like a little girl in her favorite class in school, just scribbling and scribbling away in my notebook in the front row. I think the rest of the “students” thought that there would be more eating and less learning, but I was THRILLED to be lectured.
I wanted to share with you some of the fun facts I learned about fermenting foods:
- The oldest evidence of fermented foods goes back to 10,000 BCE in China which was kombucha!
- Pretty much every cuisine has some kind of core fermented food or condiment (except the American diet - womp)
- There’s two kinds of fermentation:
- Wild fermentation - employs organisms already in the environment and/or food to start the fermentation (sauerkraut, traditionally made pickles, apple cider vinegar)
- Inoculation - adding organisms to initiate fermentation (yogurt, cheese, kefir)
- The bacteria living in your stomach love to eat FIBER. So eat lots of fiber to support them!
- Studies have shown that removing fermented foods from your diet decreased your immune response, but adding fermented foods back in increased and supported immune response
- Studies have also shown that eating a diverse amount of fermented foods and their bacteria is best for your immune response. So it’s great if you have yogurt in the AM, but even better if you have some sauerkraut with lunch and a kombucha with dinner too. It’s kind of like eating the rainbow when it comes to regular foods as well
- People who have less social anxiety have been documented to have a healthier gut flora, leading to new theories on healthy gut bacteria and overall mood
At this point, the lecturer started going down a route about how the bacteria in our gut want to be introduced to more bacteria (makes sense) so therefore, our bacteria in our system are influencing us to go meet other people so we can make out with them and procreate and gain new bacteria (aaaand she loses me).
Regardless, I totally enjoyed most of the lecture. But then it was time to eat!
We sampled lots of different fermented foods, including a herb sauce, a chili harissa sauce, a grape ketchup, sauerkraut - you name it. Fermented foods have such an interesting, umami flavor. There is nothing bland about them, and even the smallest amount can add a lot to a dish. You can find the recipes that we sampled on the teacher’s blog.
Then it was time to ferment! We made a jar of preserved lemons and a big jar of sauerkraut to take home with us.
Since then, I’ve preserved lemons, had another attempt at making sauerkraut (round #2 fail), and fermented carrots. It’s definitely an art that I’m still getting a hang of. I have to say, the preserved lemons have been the most USEFUL thing in my kitchen and the easiest thing to ferment. Any fresh sauce that you whip up that includes lemons - think salsa, chimichurri, ANY dressing - use chopped or food processed preserved lemons instead for a probiotic benefit AND delicious flavor.
Thanks for stopping by! 
This is great to know about! I’ve been to San Francisco Cooking School and had an awesome experience. Hope they have another class. So happy to connect with you - thanks for stopping by my blog!
Kelly - A Side of Sweet recently posted…OOTD :: Pretty Relaxed
SF Cooking School seems like fun, although expensive. This class was only $45!
I am so happy you shared about the class, it sounds great. I wish there were more classes held in my area to attend. I have been trying to eat a spoonful of sauerkraut before each meal and now the next step is to make my own!
Liora recently posted…The Only Banana Bread Recipe I Need
A spoonful is all you need! 🙂
That class sounds awesome! I have to try that preserved lemons recipe…. good luck with the sauerkraut, too! Third time’s the charm, eh? Maybe the next batch will be a success.
Leslie @ flora foodie recently posted…October Workout Playlist
Third time will hopefully be the charm!
I definitely could use some more probiotics in my life! I was on a big kefir kick for a while, but I kind of forgot about it.
I love the fermented soy broth in Panera’s broth bowls. When I was working there I’d drink it like coffee.
Kate recently posted…All the homegoodies (WIAW)
I LOVED kefir until I stopped eating dairy for a while..now I can’t handle it 🙁
Dani recently posted…Intro to Fermentation
That seems like so much fun, I actually want to learn more about the fermentation process, I want to start making my own kombucha 🙂
Katalina @ Peas & Peonies recently posted…Rustic Black Olives Heirloom Tomatoes Pizza
I do too! Would save me so much money.
Fermenting is one of my favorite things to enjoy - that’s awesome that you took a workshop, can’t wait to see some awesome recipes!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog recently posted…German Apple Cake
I definitely have been brewing up a lot in my mind!
Sounds like a really interesting class! I have been meaning to preserve lemons for some Moroccan recipes.
Preserving lemons was probably the easiest!
I need to add more fermented food to my life! What a cool class!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt recently posted…5 Ingredient Parmesan Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
I try and get 1-2 fermented foods in a day. It’s not too tough!
Oh wow, that is SUCH an awesome class! I’m like you, I would have loved the lecture portion! Thanks so much for sharing all you learned with us! I need to add more fermented foods to my diet! Who knew fermented food could have such a profound impact on your well being, both physically and mentally (it can decrease social anxiety? WHAT? Awesome). GREAT POST! Cheers, lovely!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Bahn Mi Totchos {with Cilantro-Lime Aioli}
Thank you! Happy to share! It’s no cure-all, but it’s definitely an important thing to include in your diet.
That sounds like so much fun! And so informative! I tried making my own pickles once and then I got scared I was going to kill everyone with them! I love eating fermented foods though and I bet they are even better when you make them yourself 🙂
Izzy @ she likes food recently posted…Curried Cauliflower & Potato Soup with Crispy Chickpeas
I was worried about that too! They smell so funky when they get fermented I’m like, ‘this can’t be good!’
soooooo jealous that you took this class! I know fermented foods are SO good for your gut, but I’ve never made anything myself. I definitely could tackle fermented lemons!
Rachel Pattison (Little Chef Big Appetite) recently posted…Brie Crostini with Spiced Raisin Compote
The lemons are so easy! Honestly anyone who can cook can do them.
This looks like so much fun! I didn’t know there were two types of fermentation 🙂
Jess @hellotofit recently posted…Salmon asparagus egg muffins
Me neither! Fun fact!
Nishanga Bliss says
So glad you enjoyed the class Dani! One thing-the evidence for kombucha production goes back about 2,000 years-10,000 years is the date for evidence of fermented grogs. Happy fermenting!
Thanks Nishanga! Glad you stopped by!