Food

9 Recipes For Our Favorite Fermented Foods

The process of fermentation is the secret behind some of the world's most delicious foods

By SAVEUR Editors

October 10, 2011

The process of fermentation is the secret behind some of the world's most delicious foods.

Quick Basic Kimchi — Getting tired of your plain winter root vegetables? Throw some homemade kimchi on there to spice up a standard dish. Get the recipe for Quick Basic Kimchi »Matt Taylor-Gross

This spicy slaw is a riff on Latin America's curtido; it's sweet but not too funky, and perfect alongside grilled fish or as a condiment for tacos.Todd Coleman

This cabbage kimchi, packed out in pint-size mason jars, makes a unique gift. Tie a tag around the jar lid with hand-written suggestions such as Kimchi Stew or Kimchi Pancakes, as well as a reminder to keep the kimchi refrigerated. See the recipe for Cabbage Kimchi»André Baranowski

Sprout Kraut — For a twist on traditional sauerkraut, cookbook author Karen Solomon likes to soak Brussels sprouts in a briny mixture of peppercorn, dill, garlic, and chiles.Helen Rosner

Mixed Baby Vegetable Pickles — The recipe for this lacto-fermented mixed pickle is flexible: Use whatever vegetables happen to inspire you at the market, and feel free to tweak the seasonings. The benefit of using baby vegetables is not only aesthetic; because of their small size, they cure faster. Also because of their small size, and their sweet, mild flavor, we don't want to use too much salt in the brine: As a safeguard, we add just a bit of white wine vinegar.Todd Coleman

Fermented Beets with Orange and Ginger — This recipe is inspired by rosl, a Jewish specialty from the Ukraine that calls for pickling beets in brine.Todd Coleman

Radish Kimchi — Very large, firm daikon radishes are the best for making this classic kimchi.Todd Coleman

Sour Pickles — Most commercial pickles are preserved with vinegar, which is the product of one kind of fermentation. But sour pickles develop their complex flavor thanks to lactic fermentation, the process by which the naturally occurring bacteria Lactobacillus transforms and preserves foods, usually in a brine. The balance of salinity is key: You want enough salt to get a nice, crisp pickle and to prevent the growth of pathogens or mold, but not so much that the pickles are unpleasant to eat.Todd Coleman

While vinegar-making microflora will spontaneously gather on your wine, you may choose to kick-start the process with a mother of vinegar culture. This red wine vinegar is flavored with star anise and cloves, and makes an excellent all-purpose seasoning for everything from salad dressings to marinades.Todd Coleman

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