Fermentation: The Former Necessity Turned Art

Before refrigeration was a thing, human beings all over the world either ate their foods right at the source or used a variety of techniques and processes in order to preserve their foods. The people in regions up far north, such as Nordic Areas, Siberia and tribes of modern day Canada/Alaska, much of the year, preservation wasn't as much of an issue or process, burying various meat products in the snow or within the slush perfectly protected their food from various bacteria. However, when it wasn't as cold for them or year round for pretty much everywhere else in the world, pickling and fermenting were used in order to preserve foods. What these processes have in common is that they both use salt and acidity in order to kill off the bacteria that would otherwise be harbored in their foods. Nowadays, with refrigeration and the popularity of a food producing global society (one where food is raised and sold, rather than hunted and gathered) that segment of cuisine has shrunk dramatically in most of the world. Now a large majority of foods that use these processes are scantly used as a condiment, as a small bite before a meal...Basically a gastronomical afterthought. However, the distinctive flavors fermentation yields are still utalized heavily in eastern and southeastern Aisa. While still a condiment for say, these flavors are not an afterthought, fermented ingredients are what makes the cuisine of these countries very distinctive. I touched on this topic in my "Pad Thai Crimes," post, the fermentation process appeals to a scantly utilized and underestimated taste: umami. Umami is commonly confused with saltiness because it is something often associated with salty foods; tomatoes, sharp cheese, fish sauce and soy, however it is the addition of Glutamic Acid that excites the taste buds which is found in any food, but is  concentrated primarily through the aging of the food.

Most popular Asian condiments are a product of fermentation including; soy sauce, fish sauce, sambal oelek, hoison, sriracha (for those hipsters out there) and gochujang (for those ahead of the hipsters.) 

One of the most ubiquitous foods involving fermentation within eastern Asia is found in Korean Cuisine, Kimchi, which is one of those fun foods like Italian caponata or French ratatouille where it can either be a side to a light meal or a condiment for a heavier meal. Kimchi is made traditionally with a wide stemmed cabbage usually in the napa variety, daikon (a broad Korean radish), garlic, ginger, scallions, a fermented seafood flavor (usually fish sauce or salted baby shrimp) and a large amount of gochugaru, Korean chili powder/flakes (it is more mild, so it is used heavily), Some regional variations would consist of carrots, cucumbers, zucchini or apple. The cabbage is cut, salted for a few hours, rinsed, combined with all of the other flavor components, packed tightly and allowed to sit for a long time. Old tradition consists of packing the kimchi mixture in a earthernware vessel and burring it underground for several months, in modern times, a few days inside a pantry or a few weeks refrigerates does it pretty well. During this time, the structural cells of the napa cabbage and daikon relax and chill out as lactic acid is released as their cells become starved for oxygen, this is what causes the sour taste and sugar is formed within the cells, drained of energy causing a more pronounced sweet flavor. In addition, the formerly overly pungent flavors of garlic and salt are mellowed out and the spice is rounded out, making it lose the painful edge. The product after fermentation it transformed into a complex mixture of flavors; sweet, sour, salty, spicy and mellow garlic that is only accomplished through fermentation.

Since November, I have tried out different recipes, using different flavor components and after 5 trial runs, I finally found the perfect combination of flavors to suit my taste, I have decided this week to make it again as I am running low. There are a few unconventional ingredients I use in my recipe which add a touch of Thai and Arabic influence to the dish, however these flavors are only used to further emphasize those flavors used within the recipe (also to compensate with nonavailability of some ingredients) so there is no reinventing, just improving. My goal was succeeded in this, to provide and develop a recipe for kimchi with more accessible ingredients while highlighting the flavors already there.
*As a side note, I tried out a new camera for this and the next post, so picture quality is lower, I apologize for that and will switch back to my old camera soon.