Lacto-Fermenation is one of the oldest food preservation methods still regularly used. It is not Witchcraft or Sorcery and it's effective tasty and pretty much bullet proof. If it tastes good, then it's good. Plus the resultant pickles have the benefit of home made probiotics. Lacto-Fermentation has nothing to do with dairy products, the lacto refers to lactic acid. All fruits and vegetables have beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus on the surface. In an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, these bacteria convert sugars into lactic acid, which inhibits harmful bacteria and acts as a preservative. It's also what gives fermented foods their characteristic sour flavour. The earliest record of fermentation dates back as far as 6000 B.C. in the Fertile Crescent -and nearly every civilization since has included at least one fermented food in its culinary heritage. From Korean kimchi and Indian chutneys to the ubiquitous sauerkraut.
Now this how you do Food Journalism! Article from The Guardian (Opens in a new Tab)
This is a beautifully written article and it highlights many issues.
However I’d like to add to it a bit if I / We may?
If you can’t be bothered reading - “Cook From Scratch”……..
Why do we cook everything from scratch? There are various reasons:-
(1) Cost. Generally I buy the most costly ingredient first, usually the Meat or Fish (Protein Component). We then assess what ingredients we have available and the sort of dish we intend to create. I then nip off and get whatever additional items we need. This might seem like a very time intensive way to deal with cooking / shopping? Well it is probably inefficient, but we have a number of supermarkets and independent shops within walking distance, for which we are grateful.
(2) Ingredient Control. Sue has Celiac Disease and over the last year or so has developed a Lactose Intolerance. They unfortunately often go hand-in-hand. So anything with the slightest trace of Wheat is banished from the flat. Dairy can be mitigated by Sue taking a Lactase Enzyme tablet or two before eating anything which contains Lactose. But really, it’s much easier to just not eat something which you know is going to make you ill.
(3) Quality of Ingredients. Processed food in a plastic tub, frozen, with a film which you prick….. Come on guys “Food Warehouse” are not exactly marketing their food as healthy, now are they? There are frozen meal businesses which offer high quality food, but it’s generally out of our budget.
(4) Enjoyment. We actually enjoy cooking together. Sue can’t get out of the flat without assistance, however as a couple of foodie with histories including cheffing and butchery it’s no great surprise that we enjoy the process of cooking a good meal on a budget together.
(5) Personal Engagement. When I have gathered the ingredients for a meal and we have created a recipe and cooked it, it’s often fun for us to natter about how it tasted, what we could do next time to improve it etc.
You don’t get any of the above when you microwave frozen ‘stuff’ after bursting the film with a fork.
