Fermented foods are a growing consumer trend from kombucha to kimchi to kefir. They not only extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables, but also help to reduce food waste and can attract customers seeking healthy eating options. As Marilia Chamon, nutritional therapist and gut health expert says, “Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, beneficial bacteria that help maintain a healthy gut.”
At Silo restaurant in London, described as the world’s first zero waste restaurant, every dish from the bread course to dessert has an element of fermentation. This includes cultured butter, garums and miso used within dishes to the amazake and in house vinegars.
Ryan Walker, the restaurant’s Head of Fermentation, Research and Development, says:
“Aside from flavour creation, fermentation excels in making nutrients in most food more bioavailable and digestible. By adding salt to raw vegetables, you can extend the life of vegetables almost indefinitely by creating an environment for good bacteria to dominate over any bad bacteria by creating a naturally acidic environment. Replace anything pickled with one of these lacto-ferments and use the juice as a vinegar alternative and you will find this is a great way to start integrating fermentation into your menu.”
One of Silo’s signature dishes is amazake “ice cream”. Ryan says “We ferment rice with koji to make sweet amazake then mix that with inhouse elderflower vinegar to create a vegan ice cream with the same texture and luxurious mouthfeel of a dairy based ice cream.”
James Taylor from Chefs in Schools
James uses fermentation as a way of preserving fruits and vegetables, reducing waste and creating new flavours. “Fermenting is a great quick way to preserve fruit and vegetables if there isn’t an immediate use for them. I often ferment chillis and garlic in a brine for around ten days, then use it as a dipping sauce or to add to my dishes. Fermenting is a great way to use up trimmings such as radish leaves, carrot tops or beetroot and cauliflower leaves.”
Fermentation expert Rachel de Thample:
Rachel teaches at River Cottage in Devon, Petersham Nurseries and the Plant Academy in London. She’s also the author of The River Cottage Fermentation Handbook. She says “I’ve been working with chefs on how they can transform their food waste into high end ingredients to feature on menus, such as miso made with stale bread or vegetable scraps or fermented ketchups with over ripe tomatoes. You can take fading produce and make kimchi. This is a great pickle to serve with any dish such as brunch offerings (scrambled eggs on toast or with roast potatoes and a poached egg).
Rachel recommends adding fermented foods as a flavour booster to virtually all dishes towards the end of cooking or after cooking. Examples include adding kimchi to a beef stew or make fried rice and fold the kimchi through right after the rice has been taken off the heat.
