“Ferment” sounds like what happens when you leave something in a Tupperware container for too long in the fridge, you open it and it smells weird. However, fermentation is an essential process in many of our most everyday foods, such as bread, cheese, yogurt, beer or wine. Humanity has been using it as a preservation method since time immemorial, but in recent years it has become fashionable to apply it to all kinds of food with the aim of finding new flavors or textures.
In the video above you have a quick and free fermentation class for beginners, taught by a man who knows almost everything about it. Robert Ruiz, responsible for LOV Ferments and author of the book Fermentshows us how to make three preparations for beginners: a ginger-lime soda, some pickled medlars, and a peanut-banana sauce.
GINGER LIME SODA
Ingredients
- 1 liter of water
- 60g sugar
- 10g ginger
- The skin of half a lime
- 1 sprig of mint
- 1 g fresh bread yeast
- Sparkling water, soda or siphon
Preparation
- Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water. Add ginger, lime peel and mint. Leave two days at room temperature.
- Bottle and store in the fridge (lasts about 14 days). Serve as is or reduced with sparkling water, soda or siphon.
PICKLED MEDLARS
Ingredients
- 300ml water
- 1 liter of wine vinegar
- 1 kilo of sugar
- 1 kilo of medlars
Preparation
- Dilute the sugar in hot water and add the vinegar.
- When it is cold, add the medlars and leave to pickle for three months.
- The pickling liquid can be mixed with sparkling water for a refreshing drink. It lasts about 5 years.
PEANUT SAUCE AND PICKLED BANANA
Ingredients
- 250g peanut
- 100g sugar
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 spring onion
- 500ml white vinegar
- 25g of salt
Preparation
- Cover the peanuts with water and let them hydrate for 24 hours.
- Add the other ingredients and blend until you get a silky paste. If it is too thick, add water and vinegar in the same proportion until you get the desired texture.
- Adjust salt and sugar to taste. Store in a jar outside the fridge for a month. It lasts one year.
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