Years ago fermentation was a traditional process in order to preserve food. It’s very interesting to know that it first originated in Indian Sub-continent during the Indus valley civilization. Fermentation concentrates on improving the taste, texture, and aroma of the food
with the goodness of health more than it’s preservation. Fermentation also saves the food
from rotting and amplifies the existing nutrients within the fermented food. Cheese was an art of fermentation about 8000 years ago. Egyptians were pretty famous for wine and Beer
fermentation in the period 4000-2000 BC followed by dough fermentation way back 4000-
3500 BC. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the history of fermentation to know its
importance from the prehistoric time.
Generally there are 2 types of fermentation.
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LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION: -sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) -Korean Kimchi (fermented pickled cabbage) -idli and dosa, curd or yogurt |
ETHANOLIC FERMENTATION: -Beer fermentation -wine fermentation -vodka fermentation |
While alcohol, we know, is a bad guy, there are plenty of other Fermented beverages that are
staple to many old ancient cuisines.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk is the water obtained when the fermented milk is churned in order to
separate the butter from the milk. It contains water‐soluble components including
lactose- gives sweetness to it, milk salts and vitamins as well as milk proteins and
residual fat. Buttermilk exists in both traditional/conventional and cultured buttermilk.
Kefir : It is a form of fermented milk prepared by inoculating yeasts and non pathogenic
bacteria like the lactobacillus species. The interaction between yeasts and the good bacteria
create an availability of the rich vitamins and calcium to the body. Kefir historically
originated from the mountains of Russia and is used greatly as a therapeutic agent in the food.
It possesses antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, probiotic and prebiotic properties and also is good
to reduce cholesterol levels. People with lactose intolerance, Kefir helps to reduce this problem.
| Kefir: It is a form of fermented milk prepared by inoculating yeasts and non pathogenic bacteria like the lactobacillus species. The interaction between yeasts and the good bacteria create an availability of the rich vitamins and calcium to the body. Kefir historically originated from the mountains of Russia and is used greatly as a therapeutic agent in the food. It possesses antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, probiotic and prebiotic properties and also is good to reduce cholesterol levels. People with lactose intolerance, Kefir helps to reduce this problem. |
How many of you’ll love cheese? Well this is a fermented product too. Cheese is fermented from unpasteurized milk and also by adding some good bacteria(Lactobacillus and streptococcus). Like you know that yogurt is a probiotic food which is rich in vitamins, casein protein and minerals, it is fermented using cow’s milk with the help of the two same good bacterias i.e lactobacillus and Streptococcus.
| Other Fermented Milk products | ||
| Yogurt | Method: overnight fermentation of warm milk with 1 tsp of previous curd. |
You need to know the names of the good bacteria: Good bacterias: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus |
| Curd/ acidophilus milk (North America)/ laban (Middle East)/ leben (Arab World) / dahi (India) |
Method: Heat the milk to boil. Cool it for 15 minutes and stir followed by overnight fermentation of warm milk with 1 tsp of previous curd. |
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| Cheese | Method: milk is heated and added with a 5% of rennetwhich is a milk protein. Milk is set to curdle and the water(kefir) is separated from it. This retained curd is further pressed to form cheese. It is left to ferment. |
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| Kafir and koumiss (Central Asia) |
fermented milks made with kefir grains, yeast, lactic acid bacteria and milk proteins |
BENEFITS OF Fermentation:
- Prevents the spoilage of food and thus increases the shelf life of foods
- Increases the softness of foods .
- Lowers the phytate content of some plant based foods and thus increases the availability of nutrients like iron.
“Fermented foods are a boon for your body, so don’t neglect it”
