What are naturally fermented foods?
Naturally fermented foods are those food products that are given an exposure to healthy microorganisms that help breakdown the complex carbs and sugar molecules into smaller particles and makes it easier for the type of food to be digested by the body.
Fermented foods incorporate a variety of microorganisms that are healthy for our body, providing adequate nutrition, digestibility and boost immunity. They are known to be healthy, nutritious and easily digestible as the organism present helps breakdown the food particle by itself, and extract required nutrients from it without the efforts of our body, saving our energy and metabolism.
These types of foods are either made to increase the shelf life of a product, enhance existing nutritional or help change the physical and flavour attributes of a food product. Although fermentation is done on vegetables like cabbage, cucumbers, radish and other water rich vegetables but with growing interest in healthy foods, fermented foods have been exploring different food groups as well. Similarly, cereals are also being used to prepare a fermented product by breaking down the sugar present these carbs that help ferment the food even better.
Naturally fermented foods,
Naturally fermented foods are mainly made from vegetables that have lactic acid in them that further breaks down and ferments the food product. These fermented foods are extremely healthy, flavourful and help to boost our gut health and support the nutrition of gut bacteria, preventing from any unwanted infection. Here are some great examples of fermented foods mentioned down below,
Sauerkraut:
- Hailing from Germany, sauerkraut is a popular dish to have long with main dishes that help add some probiotic goodness into the meal. Sauerkraut is a fermented goodness that is made from cabbage and is tart and tangy in taste.
- They are high on probiotics, vitamins, minerals and are easy to digest. They are prepared by adding lots of salt into the cabbage and is then kept aside to get fermented for a while. The natural bacteria's present in the cabbage that further starts breaking down the sugar present in the cabbage and produce acid and results in the completion of the fermentation process.
Kimchi:
- An extremely popular condiment used in South Korea, kimchi is a spicy, savoury and salty dish that has a pungent smell to it that determine its fermentation stage and intensity. Kimchi is a stable side dish in Korean cuisines and are highly versatile in being used as different types of cuisines and dishes as well.
- They are originally made from cabbage but are also available in various other food items that can be fermented.
- They specifically use a traditional gochugaru paste, which is a traditional Korean red chilli paste that gives kimchi its original flavour.
- Although cabbage is the most popular one that is quite popular all around the world, but people also enjoy a cucumber and radish kimchi as well.
- Having a strong chilli taste, when customised the kimchi can be made by any suitable vegetable and can have a slightly different taste depending upon our preferences.
Kombucha:
- Kombucha is the most popular fermented drink right now, that was popularised by the Asian countries and are made by sweetened tea.
- Kombucha unlike any other tea is not freshly prepared but in fact is a premade tea that kept aside for fermentation to enhance it nutritional profile as well as flavour.
- These kinds of teas can be made by any tea type that you like to drink but it would work wonderfully with black and green tea.
- The fermentation process takes place by the addition of sugar and a pinch of salt that breaks down and produces that distinctive taste and flavour that makes this kombucha tea even more addictive.
Miso:
- You might have heard about miso soups being quite popular in Japan and are also popular in other Asian countries as well.
- Miso is basically a fermented paste that is made primarily from soyabean but it also can be made from rice, barley and wheat.
- Miso paste is quite popular for its strong fermented umami flavour that works well with providing rich flavour in soups, gravies and also ramen bowl.
- The fermentation process of miso paste may take quite some time to properly enhance its taste and flavour that may take months and years to happen.
- The intensity of these flavours may vary from sweet and mild called Shiro miso and a bit heavier and strong called Aka miso.
Sourdough Bread:
- Popularised by the European countries, sourdough bread is the fermented type of bread that is healthy, tasty and easy to digest by the body.
- They are made by the fermentation process in which the bread sugar is broken down by the yeast present in the dough, producing lactic acid that further indicates the completion of fermentation process in the body.
- The fermentation when done brings out a unique tangy and sour taste from the bread that once baked cools a bit down and taste better.
- Fermentation makes the bread texture crispy on the outside and soft and spongy on the inside that makes it easy to digest.
- They also experience an increase in the nutritional value of the bread that increase its antioxidant, protein and pro-bacteria content that help with gut health.
-Originating from ancient times, sourdough bread is crafted through the fermentation of dough using wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. It offers a distinctive tangy taste and improved digestibility.
Tempeh:
- Originating from Indonesia, tempeh is a widely renowned fermented dish known for its nutritional goodness and distinctive flavour.
- Tempeh is known to be made from a mould called Rhizopus oligosporus that is soaked and boiled and then added to soyabeans which then gets fermented to form tempeh.
- Made from soyabeans, tempeh is already a great source of protein but fermenting them makes their overall nutritional even better to be considered a great gut healthy food option.
- It has a unique earthy, nutty flavour that makes it versatile enough to be used in a wide variety of dishes and cuisines.
- They are fermented to be a nutty chewy and spongy texture that typically depicts the mould attributes and help the protein inside soyabeans get digested and absorbed in the body.
Natto:
- Japan being the creative of natto that is a widely used fermented product for a healthy glowing skin.
- They are made by soaking the bacterial culture and heating them up to a certain temperature that is then added to soyabeans and kept for fermentation process.
- natto are originally include the soyabeans with a thread-like strand formation after fermentation that has a strong taste and slimy texture to itself.
- Natto is known to be highly nutritious, packed with protein goodness from soyabean that help build collagen and other nutritional profiles.
- They are considered a healthy food option to improve skin texture and develop a natural glow.
Conclusion:
This article talks about what really are naturally fermented foods and the different varieties of these fermented foods that have a health benefiting attribute to them that help increase our daily intake of probiotics that help improve gut health.
FAQs
Q. What is tempeh?
A- - Originating from Indonesia, tempeh is a widely renowned fermented dish known for its nutritional goodness and distinctive flavour.
- Tempeh is known to be made from a mould called Rhizopus oligosporus that is soaked and boiled and then added to soyabeans which then gets fermented to form tempeh.
- Made from soyabeans, tempeh is already a great source of protein but fermenting them makes their overall nutritional even better to be considered a great gut healthy food option.
- It has a unique earthy, nutty flavour that makes it versatile enough to be used in a wide variety of dishes and cuisines.
