Cultural Revolution

Last night I attended a wonderful lecture with Sandor Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, at Cheryl's Herb's in Maplewood. It was so interesting to hear about the varieties of fermented foods. I had not realized that most everyone eats a food that is, at least in part, a product of fermentation each and every day. It's not just sauerkraut, think about coffee, bread, cheese and vinegar.

One thing Sandor explained for us is the "War on Bacteria." Did you know that the bacteria living in your body outnumbers your body's own cells ten to one?! This resident community of bacteria helps us digest our foods, produces essential nutrients like B vitamins, and enhances our immune system. Consider also the over-use of antibiotic medications and antibacterial products. Most of us think about prescription drugs when we think of antibiotics, which is certainly a factor. However, there are also so many antibiotics are used in factory farming that our water sources are universally contaminated with the drugs. Our internal ecosystems are under attack! Naturally fermented, unpasteurized foods have a variety of health benefits including nourishing and repopulating our body with beneficial bacteria.

Autonomy was another theme from last nights talk. In the last century our culture has moved away from foods of local origin to foods produced and shipped across vast distances. In order to stay edible during this journey the foods must be processed in such a way that maximizes shelf life but devastates nutritional value. The ancient practice of natural fermentation of foods was one way that people could "process" their locally grown, whole foods for longer shelf life, as well as to enhance digestibility, health benefits and flavor. When we prepare our own foods with simple, ancient practices of culturing and fermentation we exercise a measure of "food-autonomy" and move towards choices that are better for our health and the health of our community and our planet.

It was truly an inspiring evening. I recommend that you check out Sandor's website.

I can hardly wait to get some sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir started in my kitchen!