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TOP 5 FERMENTED

DRINKS

THIS IS THE FOLLOW UP TO TOP 5

FEMENTED FOODS

Sima looks a bit like lemonade.

Fermented beverages have been a staple of the human diet since practically the dawn of (recorded) time (or at least 9000 years ago).  Without modern refrigeration techniques, people sought other methods to preserve food and mitigate

spoilage.  Fermentation is one of the ubiquitous methods of preservation utilized by all cultures.

Using naturally occurring bacteria and yeast to ferment native foodstuffs didn’t only protect them from spoilage, it also added pro-biotic food to their diet and boosted their nutritional intake. Not only that, many fermented foods contain enzymes humans need to more effectively derive nutrition from their food.  Whether they knew it or not, ancient peoples benefited in many ways from fermented foods.

Most people today are pretty disconnected from the natural world, especially the natural bacteria that are disinfected out of our lives.  In some cases,

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that is good.  Certainly nobody wants to catch the plague! However, I believe that our “war on bacteria” is at the root of a whole host of heretofore never before heard of “modern illnesses,” both mental and physical. As a society, we are severely out of (bacteria) balance. Correcting that balance is what fermented drinks are all about!

So, to that end, let’s take a look at a few interesting drinks from around the world.  Many of these are ancient beverages and their popularity throughout the ages demonstrates the power of fermentation.  It’s hot baby!

5. Sima

Sima is a traditional beverage of the Finnish

people.  It is made and served during Vappu, the Finnish May Day celebration.  While normally a stoic people, Vappu is considered the one time of year that they really let their

hair down.  Like most May Day celebrations, its roots are from the Pagan tradition.

Sima is a quick and easy ferment   (warning: pdf!) with lemons, sugar and yeast.  The short fermentation cycle (of which the conclusion is indicated by raisins added to the bottling stage that float to the

top) reduces the amount of alcohol present.

While drunk by adults, it is also popularly served to kids, as many other cultures have more accepting attitudes

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towards low doses of alcohol for children.

4. Boza or Bouza

Boza is a traditional fermented drink whose roots have been traced all the way back to Mesopotamia, 8000-9000 years ago. It is mainly made from hulled millet, which is boiled in water and then poured into broad shallow pans. When cool, the mixture is strained through a sieve, and water and sugar are added.

Boza is produced in most Turkish regions and in Bulgaria, Albania and Romania. Bouza is produced in Egypt and is most likely the forerunner of beer in Ancient Egypt.

Different cereals (wheat, millet and rye) can be used for Boza

production, and natural mixtures of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria cause fermentation.  Starter from a previous batch is used and both lactic-acid bacteria and Saccaromyces (same yeast as in Komb…hold on. I don’t want to ruin the surprise of #1) are involved in the fermentation process.

3. Milk Kefir/Coconut

Kefir

Those were interesting to read about – now let’s get to some more familiar fermented friends!  I LOVE Milk Kefir.  Its smooth and creamy and filling – a perfect snack.  Though often referred to as drinkable yogurt, kefir is so much more.

According to   one of my favorite blogs   Cultured Food Life,

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“Kefir contains 30 – 35 major

strains of friendly bacteria

(Lactobacillus Caucasus,

Leuconostoc, Acetobacter

species, Streptococus species to

name a few) not commonly

found in yogurt, kefir is a turbo

charged energy-anti-biotic-

colonic cleanser drink..Yogurt is

a mild nutrient rich drink that

pre-digests the lactose helping

the body better assimilate the

good stuff.”

Make sure to read about “second fermenting” your kefir. I need to try this.

Second Ferment Kefir, Courtesy of Cultured Food

Life

As I found out in the Top 5 Fermented Foods, many of the commercially available foods we assume would be fermented are not, or have been heat treated to eliminate mostof the good bacteria.Not surprisingly, most supermarket Kefirs are pasteurized and don’t provide the same level of health benefits as the homemade stuff.  I recommend making it with raw milk to get the most bang for your buck.

Wanna hear something completely twisted? My friends Organic Pastures sells a legitimately raw Kefir in California. But, they have to label it “Qephor” because “Kefir” is legally defined

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as a pasteurized product! Talk about

Twilight Zone!

Since milk gets a bad name these days, or because vegans would obviously have a problem with the lacto version, a popular alternative has sprung up utilizing young coconut water instead. Again, a short fermentation cycle means low alcohol levels for those concerned.  The beverage is lip smackingly delicious. Check Cultured Food Life again for the recipe (same page).

2. Ginger Beer

This one is on my to-do list for sure.  I confess to totally digging on the Reed’s Ginger Brew, but just like the booch, that stish gets expensive.  Reading

about how to make this version myself had my mouth watering, I was so excited. I’ve got to carve out time to make this recipe (and visit this cool site again).

It says: “The British Excise Regulations of 1855 required that the drink contained no more than 2% alcohol, and usually it was far less potent: hence ginger beer became popular with children.” That’s exactly the kind of classification Kombucha (and other fermented drinks) needs: less than 2% allows for health benefits without buzz, IMHO. Oops, I let my #1 drink slip! You never would have guessed…

1. Kombucha

Okay, so I am predictable, but what did you expect? You

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might look at others, even sample, but you always come back to the one you love. How about a special Kombucha fact, then? Something you’ve never heard before?  Okay, I have heard from multiple people that Kombucha can be left bottled for nearly as long as you want! In fact, after a full year, Kombucha is reported to taste smooth and delicious, not tart or vinegary as one might expect.

I’m not surprised, as I have found even 45 days or so produces somewhat the same effect, with a significant mellowing of the taste.  But, is that drink Kombucha, or has it become something less alive or pro-biotic, lacking in the vital acids? Testing is the only way to find out.  Another project!

Naturally Cultured BeveragesNaturally cultured and fermented beverages are not only a simply way to incorporate more fermented foods into your family's diet, they are often quite easy to make.Lacto-Fermented Soda: Making lacto-fermented soda at home is not only easy, it's a great way to get kids excited about kicking a commercial soda habit and provide a dose of probiotics.  Here are a few recipes to get you started: Root Beer   Lemon-Lime Berry Ginger Ale

Lacto-Fermented Herbal Tea: Try this slightly fizzy cultured tea! Click

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here for an easy recipe uisng herbal tea, sugar, and whey, starter culture, or a few tablespoons of lacto-fermented vegetable brine.

Rejuvelac: Made of fermented grains such as wheat, rye, barley, rice, millet, etc. Rejuvelac contains a number of vitamins including eight of the B vitamins as well as vitamins E and K.  Rejuvelac is made by sprouting grain and then soaking the grain in water.  The water is then consumed.  Click here to learn more about making Rejuvelac.

Juice from Cultured Vegetables: Don't waste all the liquid left over from making Sauerkraut, Cultured Beets, Carrots, etc.  The

leftover juice makes a wonderful probiotic-rich beverage.  Often the juice will be quite salty and strong so it may need to be watered down a bit depending on your taste preferences.  Click here for more information on harvesting the juice cultured vegetables. No time to make your own cultured veggies?  We now haveready-to-drink cultured veggie juice in five varieties shipped chilled to your door!

Kvass: A traditional fermented beverage originating in Russia and at one point was the most common drink across all classes of society.  Kvass can be made with stale rye sourdough bread, beets, or other vegetables.  The bread based version tastes

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somewhat like beer--but without the high alcohol content.  Click here for more information on makingOrange Ginger Carrot Kvass and Beet Kvass.

Sweet Potato Fly: Sweet potatoes an be used to make this surprisingly delicious lacto-fermented beverage. Spiced with what you please it is reminiscent of a ginger ale or other spice, bubbly beverage. Like many lacto-fermented foods, it may take some getting used to, but once you acquire a taste you’ll find its sweet, tangy, spicy flavor quite refreshing! Click here for our easy Sweet Potato Fly recipe.

Kombucha: A fermented tea containing significant quantities of B-

vitamins, Kombucha is made from a culture often known as a Scoby or Mushroom.  The mother culture is composed of yeast and bacteria and is similar to cultures used to make vinegar.  The flavor of Kombucha can be influenced by several factors including the type of tea used and the length of time beverage is allowed to ferment (can range from a sweet, slightly acidic beverage to a stronger vinegar-taste).  Kombucha can be consumed plain or flavored with fruit, herbs or fruit juice following the initial culturing process.  While Kombucha is often available commercially through health food stores, it can run $3+ for 16 oz. but can be made at home for about $1 a gallon.  Click here to learn more aboutmaking Kombucha at home.

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Water Kefir: Made with sugar water, fruit juice or coconut water, water kefir is perhaps one of the most well liked fermented beverages.  The slightly sweet, slightly fermented taste makes the perfect background for flavorings such as fruit, juice and even herbs.  Made with a culture known as Water Kefir Grains (also known as Tibicos, Japanese Water Crystals, etc.), water kefir is fermented for 24 to 48 hours.  The culture itself is comprised of bacteria and yeast existing in a symbiotic relationship.  The culture does not contain any grains such as wheat, rye, etc. but rather is referred to as a grain for its crystal grain-like appearance.  Click here to learn more aboutmaking Water Kefir at home.

Dairy Kefir: 

Traditionally made with cow or goat milk, Dairy Kefir contains a plethora of beneficial yeasts and bacteria.  Dairy Kefir is one of the easiest fermented beverages to make and is one we often recommend starting with.  Dairy Kefir can be made with Kefir Grains (symbiotic yeast and bacteria comprising a culture that looks like cauliflower) or with powdered Kefir Starter Culture.  The culture consumes much of the lactose in the milk yielding a slightly carbonated beverage with a consistency similar to thin yogurt.  Kefir can be used as a base for smoothies, salad dressings, creamy soups and more or in place of yogurt or buttermilk in recipes.  Dairy Kefir can also be made with coconut milk.  Click here to learn more about making Dairy Kefir.

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Why Fermented Foods & Drinks are HealthyAs fermented foods expert Sally Fallon asks in her Nourishing Traditions cookbook, with the proliferation of all these new mysterious viruses, intestinal parasites and chronic health problems, despite ubiquitous sanitation, "Could it be that by abandoning the ancient practice of lacto-fermentation, and insisting on a diet in which everything has been pasteurized, we have compromised the health of our intestinal flora and made ourselves vulnerable to legions of pathogenic microorganisms?"

What is Fermentation?

Fermentation is a process in which an agent [typically bacteria and yeast] cause an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic [no oxygen] breakdown of sugar into alcohol, i.e. the making of beer or wine.

Fermentation is based upon the word "Ferment" which means any agent or substance, such as a bacterium, mould, yeast, or enzyme, that causes fermentation. Ferment comes from the Latin word "fermentare" which means to leaven, ferment, which is from the word "fermentumquot; a substance causing fermentation, from the root word (original word) "fervere" to boil, seethe, or brew.

Fermentation in food processing is the conversion of carbohydrates (plant foods) to alcohols and carbon dioxide, or organic acids, using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under

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anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions.

Fermentation usually implies that the action of microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to produce alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider. Fermentation is also employed in the leavening of bread, and for preservation techniques to create lactic acid in sour foods such as sauerkraut, dry sausages, kimchi and yogurt, or vinegar (acetic acid) for use in pickling foods.

The primary benefit of fermentation is the conversion of sugars and other carbohydrates, e.g., converting juice into wine, grains into beer, carbohydrates into carbon dioxide to leaven bread, and sugars in vegetables into organic acids which preserve them.

Food fermentation has been said to serve five main purposes:

1. Enrichment of the diet through development of a diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures in foods.

2. Preservation of food through lactic acid, alcohol, acetic acid, etc. fermentation.

3. Elimination of antinutrients in foods, such as phytates in grains, nuts, seeds and legumes (peas and peas from pods, including peanuts) that block digestion of minerals when consumed without proper preparation - see Grains, Nuts, Seeds & Legumes Must Be Properly Prepared for more information. Also see the definition of Phytates below.

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4. A decrease in cooking times.

Phytates (phytic acid) are the storage form of phosphorus [a mineral] bound to inositol [a B vitamin] in foods high in fiber (all plant foods), and particularly the fiber of raw whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Although these foods have a high phosphorus content, the phosphates in phytates are not released by human digestion. Phytates, particularly in such raw foods as bran, are a concern because they can bind a portion of the iron, zinc, and calcium in foods, making the minerals unavailable for absorption.

When bread is leavened (fermented) by yeast, enzymes degrade phytic acid, and phytates pose no problem. Enzymes, called phytases, destroy phytates during certain food processes such as: the yeast-raising of dough, the sprouting of seeds, grains, legumes, the roasting of nuts,

presoaking beans, cooking, etc.

Even a small amount of phytates in food can reduce iron absorption by half (by 50%), but the effect is less marked if a meal is supplemented with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) which also helps the absorption of zinc and calcium.

There is evidence of leavened bread in ancient Egypt about 1500 BC and of milk fermentation in Babylon about 3000 BC.

Fermenting is Fun

Fermenting your own foods can be a healthy, fun, and nutritious hobby. We feel that anything you can make at home is much better than commercialized foods. We have put together a summary of fermented foods followed by a few recipes. Enjoy.

The Power of Microbes

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We live in a world dominated by microbes. The Earth's microorganisms are able to adapt to almost any environment and thrive. Bacteria have been found in the icy regions of Antarctica, near the surface of volcanic vents in the Atlantic, and even in our digestive tracts.

Our civilization is but a pale comparison to the invisible world of microbes that surrounds us. It is likely that these microbes will adapt and survive beyond human existence.

It is not surprising that microbes have become experts of adaptation when you consider the evolutionary pressures of their world. They are constantly disrupted by changes in environment, competition from other species, attacks from specialized viruses (i.e. bacteriophages), and a shifting food supply. Imagine trying to survive in a world filled with rampant diseases,

famines, hurricanes, and floods, and you'll begin to appreciate the world of the microbe.

Some microbes have colluded with the competition to form symbiotic relationships. For example, the bacterial strains Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacilllus bulgaricus, work together and transform milk into tasty yogurt.

The thirty or so strains of bacteria and yeast found in Kefir, a traditional fermented drink of the Caucasians, band together to form complex ecology capable of digesting almost any food source and staving off harmful pathogens. The microbes of Kefir even provide themselves with homes in the form of Kefir grains that are composed of a polysaccharide (a kind of sugar) matrix.

Our ancient ancestors did not live in a sterile environment. It is likely that they ingested various microbes found

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naturally in their foods. Some of these microbes were beneficial to their life while others caused infections and disease.

Somewhere along the way in their struggle for survival, our ancestors allied themselves with certain species of microbes. Our intestines have evolved into a perfect microbial farm. We provide these microbes with furnished home and plenty of food, in return, they produce beneficial nutrients and help defend us from pathogens.

About a thousand years ago, our ancestors began to experimenting with fermenting their own foods with beneficial strains to prevent spoilage, fight infections, and increase absorption of nutrients. This action further allied our bodies with the microbial world.

Benefits of Fermented Foods

Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elie Metchnikoff was one of the first scientists to recognize the benefits of eating fermented foods. His research in the early 1900's focused on the Bulgarians. He believed the daily ingestion of yogurt was a major contribution to their superior health and longevity.

Detoxify and Preserve

If there's anything that the microbial world does well, it is detoxifying things. Today, Bacteriologists periodically visit old military facilities in search of new strains of bacteria living off of contaminants in the soil.

If you put it in the ground and give them enough time to mutate and evolve, these microbes will find a way to break it down. This probably holds true for any organic chemical. These earthly microbes purify the world.

Not only have we been able to use the detoxifying properties

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of microbes to breakdown nasty substances, such as oil spills, military dumps, and sewer plants, we also use them to detoxify our food and water and increase shelf lives.

For centuries, Europeans used wine as a source of clean, durable water. Bulgarians perfected the art of detoxifying and preserving milk (removing the lactose and predigesting the proteins) and transforming it into yogurt and cheese. The Caucasians used Kefir grains for the same purpose: detoxify milk products to make Kefir.

Vegetables were also fermented to preserve them from spoilage. Most of the pickled products found on our grocery shelves were at one time a fermented product: pickles, saurkraut, and even catsup (a Chinese word for pickled fish brine). However, since fermentation isn't always a uniform process, manufacturers found another way to make these products.

Nutritious to Boot

Fermented products are a great source of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. The process of fermentation increases the amounts of some vitamins. Fermented milk is a great source of energetic B vitamins while fermented vegetables are a great source of Vitamin C.

Sauerkraut often served as military rations in ancient armies, most notably the Mongolians, and was used to prevent scurvy. The process of fermentation also increases the bioavailability of these foods.

Please Use Caution

Before we get too far into fermenting your own foods, we want to emphasize two important things about fermentation. First, the process of fermentation is only good for you if it occurs outside of your body.

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What does this mean? It means that if you ingest foods that provide an abundance of sugar and growth media for bacteria, they will ferment those foods inside of you.

An overgrowth of fermentative bacteria in your body can cause all kinds of medical problems, including Crohn'sDisease, Ankylosing Spondylitis,candidiasis , and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. So the key is to pre-ferment your foods, that is to say, ferment your milk before you eat it.

Secondly, please do not eat spoiled fermented foods. In some rare instances, fermented foods can be overtaken by mold or become spoiled. In these cases, throw out the result and start anew.

Commercial versus Homemade

In our opinion homemade products are better all around.

For one, you do not have to trust a manufacturer with your health. You have total control over what you are eating. You can purchase the best milk and/or vegetables to use.

Commercial products are usually geared for taste and not health. In the case of yogurt, this means that commercial yogurt usually has a high lactose content and is usually loaded with sugar. Homemade yogurt can be made to eliminate virtually all of the lactose and will be much fresher than anything you can buy in a store.

If the taste isn't to your liking, you can add in fresh fruit and/or honey to sweeten it up. Store bought Kefir has the same problems, you have no control over the lactose content in the end product. Another thing to consider is, real Kefir is difficult to find in the store. Quite often a manufacturer will label a product as Kefir when in fact it is not the real thing.

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In order for Kefir to be real, it needs to made from Kefir grains and not a powdered starter. As for fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut, most commercial products have been pasteurized and do not contain live cultures.

The pasteurization process not only kills the beneficial bacteria, but may also destroy many of the enzymes and nutrients. Commercial sauerkraut may also contain a fair amount of unnatural preservatives. We know that you will find fermenting your own foods at home more rewarding, healthier, cheaper than probiotics, and more enjoying than anything you could purchase in the store.

Making Yogurt & Kefir:

Making yogurt is very easy, especially if you own a yogurt maker. We recommend purchasing a Yogourmet Multi – they are cheap, easy to use, and can make 2 quarts

per batch. You can get a yogurt maker and yogurt starter from a trusted friend at Lucy's Kitchen Shop.

Once you have a starter and a yogurt maker, all you need is some milk (we recommend using Half-n-Half) and some patience. The directions that come with the maker provide a fermentation of 6 hours. However, we recommend you ferment your yogurt for 24 hours to eliminate all lactose in the yogurt [however, candida sufferers must remember that lactose is turned into another sugar during fermentation, which is called galactose].

Any residual lactose could be used as food for bacteria already found in your GI-tract and result in fermentation in your intestines

Kefir is a fermented milk product made from Kefir grains. Unlike yogurt, Kefir is made from lactobacillus bacteria and several different

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yeast organisms and is fermented at room temperature.

The most difficult step in making Kefir is getting someone to sell/give you some Kefir grains. It would be impossible for us to give Kefir any justice when there is a website out there that will describe everything and anything you need to know about Kefir.

The web site is called Dom's Kefir In-site at: Making Kefir Dom also sponsors an egroups list you can join to find someone to share Kefir grains with you and to answer any question you may have about Kefir. Here are some directions from the wise Dominic about eliminating the lactose in the Kefir [however lactose is turned into another sugar called galatose], so it still isn't acceptable for candida sufferers: 

"I find a good way to

eliminate lactose even further is to ferment the kefir per usual (24 hours), strain, then keep the strained kefir in a bottle (at room temperature) for a further 2 -3 days before consuming (ongoing fermentation). I don't keep my strained kefir in the fridge any more, but keep it like this in a cupboard. 

The kefir is still good even after 6-7 days. One must give the bottle which the kefir is continuously fermenting in, a shake at least once daily. This is so that the microbes (mainly the yeasts) are mixed in well. Other wise one may find a film or colonies of yeast or the acetic acid forming bacteria on top of the kefir. 

This is safe, but some lactose digesting yeasts may be flourishing mainly in this top layer, shaking will help to distribute them into the kefir, where you want them to do their work (breaking down lactose). 

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This continuous fermentation can also be done in the fridge, but I find that a more pleasant tasting kefir, with markedly reduced lactose is achieved this way, (at room temp.). One can also keep fermenting the kefir, like above, in an air tight bottle. 

Note: During fermentation lactose changes into another kind of sugar, called galactose, so candida sufferers would not have kefir. 

After the second day or so, an effervescent kefir will be produced. But i must point out that the bottle must not be filled more that 3/4 full. Of course, one could also ferment the original kefir for 48 hours, then follow on with the suggestions above. 

This may further make sure that the lactose content would be eliminated to a greater extent, and possibly in a smaller amount of time."

Fermented Beverages other than Wine and BeerFermented beverages have been produced and consumed all over the world and over a very long time span. Man discovered that sugar solutions of different origins, if left standing rather warm, will start fermenting spontaneously into an alcoholic beverage that also often containslactic acid. The requisite microorganisms, Saccaromyces yeasts and Lactobacillus bacteria, are abundant almost everywhere and will do their duty, producing alcohol and lactic acid. A similar fermentation process of animal and vegetable foods is the lactic-acid fermentation that yields, for instance, sour herring in Sweden, and sauerkraut. Fermented beverages can be divided into two groups, wines and beers, broadly defined. Wines are fermented from various fruit juices containing fermentable sugars. Beers come from starch-containing products, which undergo enzymatic splitting by diastase, malting, and mashing, before the fermentable sugars become available for the yeasts and bacteria. The enzymatic splitting of

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the starch can also be performed either by human saliva, containing amylases, or by molds. Narrowly defined, beer is barley beer and wine is grape wine.Detailed information on fermented beverages all over the world can be found in Hardwick and colleagues (1995, 63–68), Steinkraus (1979), Arnold (1911), and Campbell-Platt (1987).Beer from CerealsBouza is produced in Egypt and is probably the forerunner of beer in Ancient Egypt. It is prepared from malt of milo (a grain sorghum that resembles millet) and crushed baked loaves of bread. Residue from an earlier fermentation is used as a starter and both lactic-acid bacteria and Saccaromyces are involved in the fermentation process to get this sour alcoholic beverage. Talla from Ethiopia is a very similar to bouza and can be produced from barley and wheat. The bread loaves are heated to give a roasted character, and the pots are fueled by olive wood to give a smoky taste. Talla can also be spiced with hop leaves and stems, and spices.Wheat beer. Wheat beer—and rye and oat beer as well—are frequently made from mixtures of malt and the crushed grains of these cereals with barley. Often the beer is bottled with the yeasts for continued fermentation in the

bottle. Wheat beer—which is top-fermented and thus, technically, an ale—is particularly popular in Bavaria and in Belgium and northern Germany, in varieties such as lambic, Gueuze, Wit beer, Trappist beer, and Berliner Weisse.Rye beer. Rye beers such as kalja and sahti in Finland, similar beverages in the Baltic area, and kvas ("kvass" in English) in Russia are produced in northern and eastern Europe, where cultivation of rye is widespread. Kvas has been the basic beverage for the Russian people for centuries. Its importance is indicated by many proverbs such as "Eat cabbage soup with meat, but if you don't have it, eat bread and kvas." The use of kvas is documented from about the year 800. Traditionally it is spontaneously fermented. In a broad sense, kvas is any sour and alcoholic fluid made from honey, bread, cereals, birch sap, fruits, beets, or cabbage. Red-beet kvas should always be used to produce borshch ("borscht," in English—red-beet soup). In a narrow sense, kvas (that is, bread-kvas) is produced from rye malt with or without other cereals or sour-fermented rye bread as adjuncts, and the beverage is spiced with peppermint. Most of the consumed kvas is of low alcohol content, only some few percent.

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Oat beer. Oat beer is today mostly used as an adjunct in certain stouts called oat stouts. A stout is a dark ale, made of roasted malt, which occurs in several varieties such as sweet and dry (Guiness). Oats have also been used in traditional Norwegian beer production.Rice beer. Another type of cereal beers is made from rice, and these have been produced in all the rice-growing areas of the world. The best-known example is sake from Japan, which has a documented history of more than two thousand years. The principal difference from themalting of barley lies in the koji-process of rice. Koji is a culture of Aspergillus oryzae, which grows on steamed rice, and saccharifies the rice starch (that is, converts it to sugar) and decomposes the rice proteins. The sugar produced in the sake mash is later fermented by the already-present Saccaromyces cerevisiae. The mash is acidified either by adding lactic acid to it or by facilitating the growth of lactic bacteria to form the seed mash, moto. Sake is a clear, pale-yellow liquid with an alcoholic content of about 15 percent and a characteristic estery (artificially fruity) aroma. It is slightly sweet and slightly acidic and has a high amino-acid content

compared to wine and beer. Other similar beverages from rice are known from other eastern and southern Asian countries such as China, Thailand, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.Another similar fermentation process is performed by the inoculum ragi, present in Southeast Asia. Ragi contains the mold Amylomyces rouxii, the yeast Endomycopsis burtonii, and sometimes Hansenula yeasts; it produces a pleasant alcoholic and acid beverage from rice orcassava, called tape ketan in Malaysia.Sorghum and millet beer. Sorghum beers, known as kafir beers in Africa, are made from malt from sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) or from the related grain, millet (Pennisetum typhoides and Eleusine coracana). Often-used adjuncts are maize (corn), malted or unmalted sorghum or millet, and malt amylase. Lactic acid is used as a flavoring and preserving agent, and the alcoholic fermentation is performed by Saccaromyces. Nowadays, these traditional African beers are not only produced in tribal areas; they are also available in home-brewed urban and industrially produced versions. They are opaque, rather thick pinkish-brown liquids with an estery (artificially fruity) or

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fruity odor, and a sweet and sour taste.Maize Beer.Tesquino and zendecho from Mexico and Latin America are made from malted maize and spontaneously fermented by Saccaromyces cerevisiae. These beverages might be as ancient as the oldest beers of the Old World, dating back about eight thousand years. Another beer is chicha, made by Andean and Central American Indians. The starchy material is chewed into dough, which is dried and later placed into warm water where the amylase action is finished. Then a starter (a small amount taken from a prior fermentation) is added, and the lactic-acid and alcoholic fermentation begins. Today much of the chicha is made using a maize malt rather than saliva.Beer from Starch ProductsAll kinds of starchy items, such as manioc (cassava), potatoes, beets, and various roots, are included in this group. To get fermentable sugars, the starch has to be split either by diastase in malt, by saliva, or by molds, as with rice. In South and Central America, almost all of the traditional beers were originally produced by chewing either the cereal maize or other starchy vegetables. One of the most popular has been the manioc, both the sweet and the bitter; sweet

potatoes, mangabeira (Hancornia speciosa), cashew, Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora), pineapples, bananas, and algarroba pods have also been used. In the tropical forest tribes, the favorite manioc beer was prepared as follows:The roots, cut into think slices, were first boiled, then squeezed and partly chewed by young girls. The mass, impregnated with saliva, was mixed with water and heated again over the fire. The liquid was afterward poured into huge jars, half buried in the ground, covered with leaves, and left two to three days to ferment. A fire was built around the jars to warm the beverage before serving it. Each extended family manufactured its own liquor. When a bout was organized, drinkers went successively to each hut, exhausting the available supply. The women served the liquors in huge calabashes (Steward, vol. 3, 1948, p. 127).An earlier popular American low-alcoholic beverage is root beer, which consists of an infusion of sarsaparilla, sassafras, spruce, wild cherry, spikenard, wintergreen, and ginger, with sugar and yeast. Today, it is a soft drink containing some of these ingredients at its best; otherwise, it is artificially spiced.Wine from Fruit and Vegetable Juices

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation23

Fruit wine. Fruit wines are produced with almost the same technique as grape wines. Specifically-named fruit wines such as cider (from apples) and perry (from pears) are produced, as well as wines from other fruits. The technical difference between these two groups is the alcohol content—5 to 7 percent in the first group and up to 18 percent in the second group—which depends on sugar addition.

Tree-sap wine. Saps from various trees have been used to produce alcoholic beverages; examples include maple sap (from Acer saccharum, the sugar maple) in North America, and birch sap (from Betula pubescens, the downy birch) in northern Europe. The manifestation of thesymbiosis of yeast and bacteria cultures, which looks like a jellyfish, on the wounds of spring birches has been used in Europe as a folk medicine and is called "Volga-swamp."Sugarcane wine. Wine made from the sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum, together with molasses, is distilled into rum.Cactus-plant wines. The tall perennial plants of the genus Agave, which grow in Mexico and nearby areas, give a sweet, slightly bitter sap, called agua

miel (literally, honey water), which is fermented into pulque, either spontaneously or through the use of an inoculum from a previous fermentation. The Aztecs were familiar with the product. Pulque is an important food beverage for the poor in the semiarid areas of Mexico. If pulque made from Agave tequilana is distilled, the resultant liquor is called tequila; if pulque made from another agave is distilled, it is called mescal. Before the contacts with the European settlers, only a few American Indian tribes north of Mexico made alcoholic beverages. They were the Akimel O'odham (Pima), Tohono O'odham (Papago), and the River Yuman peoples in southern Arizona and northern Mexico, and they produced wine from the saguaro cactus as well as from the agave and the mesquite. In the East, the Cherokees made wine from persimmons. During an important ceremony in July, the Papagos and the Pimas drank enormous quantities of the wine to induce rainfall in their desert areas.Sugar-palm wine. Some examples of wines made from palm sap are surra from Borassus flabillifer, toddy and temba from the coconut palm Cocus nucifera (from which arrack is obtained by distillation), malovu from Elaeis guineensis, a kind of undistilled

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation24

"rum" from Hyphaene coriaca and Hyphaene critina, Phonix reclinata, Raphia pedunculata, and Raohia vinifera."Wine" from Animal SourcesMead. Honey is probably among the first foods gathered by Homo sapiens and its predecessors, and mead, the wine fermented from honey, may well be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages. Honey has also been much used as an adjunct to sweeten many kinds of beers over the centuries. Mead was the drink of the Nordic gods, whereas the people drank beer. The modern methods of production of mead are described by Andrej Jarczyk and W. Wzorek (1977).Fermented milk. Only milk from human beings and horses has a relatively high concentration of milk sugar (lactose)—6.9 percent, in comparison with the 4.9 percent in cow's milk—which makes it easier to ferment milk from mares than that from cows. People from central Asia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan) and Mongolia have fermented mare's milk, making the alcoholic beverage kumiss, and it appears that milk from camels, sheep, yaks, and reindeer has been used similarly.

FERMENTED ORANGE JUICE

Lacto-Fermented Orange Juice (an Orangina-like beverage)

Take 1 quart mason jar .

Add approximately 2 1/2 cups  fresh squeezed  orange juice ( I cheated and bought the fresh squeezed oj at the store instead of juicing my own)

Add 1/2 tsp culture starter   (or 2 tbsp   whey )

Fi l l with approximately 1 cup room temperature f i l tered water,

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation25

leaving 1 inch or so of headspace.

Cover t ightly , give a quick shake to mix and leave at room temperature for 48 hours.

Refrigerate and enjoy!

Be sure to open careful ly as gases do bui ld up during fermentation!!

***Update: i f your kitchen is warm, it may ferment faster.  Look for pressure on your l id and bubbles.  48 hours worked f ine in my 70 degree kitchen with halogen under-cabinet l ights turned on.

Also, i t real ly should be fresh squeezed orange juice, not from concentrate and not things l ike the refr igerated 100% juices.  They may turn out tasting a bit different. Cl ick here   to read more on bott led orange juice.Variations:

I did the same process except used al l oj (no water).  This turned out great, but it fermented much quicker…24 hours.  This was a l i tt le bit more ‘sparkly’ but I felt I could get more for my dol lar by doing the recipe above with added f i l tered water.

Instead of al l orange juice, you could do a mix of mostly orange juice and add a bit of grapefruit , lemon and mandarin juice to get closer to the Orangina f lavor.

You could easi ly double this recipe and use a 1/2 gallon mason jar   i f you wish.

I f you l ike to imbibe every now and again, this is AMAZING with vodka 

Homemade Fermented Pickles

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation26

The best quality

fermented pickles are made a low

salt brine without vinegar. Such

fermented cucumbers are usually

made at home and this is how

they were always made in Europe

and by early settlers who came

from Germany and Eastern

European countries. Sometimes

pickles spoiled and had to be

discarded which was not

something that commercial

producers liked. To cut down on

those losses and to extend the

life of the product vinegar was

added to brine. This made

production easier and safer but it

adversely affected the taste of the

product.

What follows is the traditional

method of making fermented

pickles.

Wash cucumbers of

visible dirt but don't brush them

off. There are some lactic acid

bacteria present on the surface

and they are needed to start

fermentation. In the past,

commercial producers did not

wash cucumbers at all, but threw

them into huge fermenting tanks.

Remove all remnants of

cucumber blossoms as molds

and tissue softening enzymes are

known to reside in those areas.

You can cut about 1/16" (1.5 mm)

off the ends of cucumbers, but

scraping them off with a tip of a

fingernail works fine.

Place cucumbers in salt

brine. Make sure all cucumbers

are immersed in brine. Place

sealed plastic Ziplock bag filled

with brine (4-1/2 tablespoons salt

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation27

and 3 quarts water) on top of

cucumbers. If the bag spills its

content this will not affect

fermentation.

First traces of slime.

The slime should be discarded.

Check pickles on a daily

basis and remove any visible

slime. Wash the bag and reinsert

it in a fermenting crock. Let it

ferment. An absence of gas

bubbles signifies the end of

fermentation.

The bag (plate) can be removed

and the slime wiped off. Then the

clean bag is reinserted again.

This takes care of the slime.

What is harder to control are the

tissue softening enzymes which

were produced by the yeasts.

Those enzymes will continue

working and the pickle will be

softer. Very salty brines decrease

yeast production, adding vinegar

is another effective measure.

Pasteurization is the most

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation28

effective preventive measure as it

will kill most microorganisms

Making Fermented PicklesNothing beats the taste of a real pickle.

You don't need a recipe to make fermented or brined pickles, but you do need to keep the correct

ratio of salt to water. Brine strength is the weight of salt as a percentage of the weight of the solution. Older recipes suggest that the salt weight be 10 percent of the weight of the solution (or 1 cups salt per gallon of water). Modern cookbooks suggest 7 to 8 percent works equally well. Any vegetable can be brined. Love it or hate it, sauerkraut is the gold standard for a brined vegetable.

The fermentation process is slow, but the preparation is a snap: Line the bottom of a clean crock or jar with grape or currant leaves. Clean the vegetables, add any spices you prefer, and place them in the crock. Mix up the brine (see below) and pour it over the vegetables to cover well. Top the crock with leaves before weighting it with an inverted dinner plate or lid. It is essential to weight the vegetables so that they stay submerged, lest the batch be spoiled. Discard and replace leaves as scum forms.

Fermentation begins within a few days. When it slows, your pickles will be ready in one to

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation29

six weeks, depending on the vegetables and the room temperature. Let taste be the final determination. Cucumbers are usually ready at two to three weeks, when they turn a translucent olive green color. Remove the bag of pickling spices. Place brined pickles in clean jars, covered with their own boiling-hot brine, top with sterile lids, and process in a canner (10 minutes for pint jars; 15 for quart jars). Store at room temperature. For more detailed canning instructions, check out Home Canning Basics

Basic Pickle Brine RecipeYou can adjust this recipe to make larger or smaller quantities; just be sure to keep the proportions of salt to vinegar to water the same.

1 3/4 cups pickling salt (not iodized)2 1/2 gallons water2 1/2 cups vinegar1/2-3/4 cup Pickling Spice Mix (see recipe below)2-3 bunches whole dill heads or 1 cup dried dill weed (optional for noncucumber pickles)

Garlic cloves to taste (up to 1 head, peeled and separated)

Mix the salt into the water until it is completely dissolved (the water will start out cloudy, then grow clear). Add the vinegar and the cheesecloth bag containing the spices and, if you're pickling cucumbers, add the dill. You may use our Pickling Spice Mix or one from the grocery store. Include garlic if you wish.

Makes enough brine for about 20 pounds (about 1/2 bushel) of vegetables.

Pickling Spice MixUse this recipe as a point of departure for your own favorite mix. You can add this mix loose to a batch of fresh pickles. For fermenting, use twine to tie the mixture up in a cheesecloth square as a spice bag; remove when you can pickles. A big jar of your own spice mix makes a nice gift and will last up to a year if stored in a cool, dark place.

4-inch cinnamon stick, broken4-6 small dried chile peppers, seeded (or 1/2 teaspoon hot

Marvin’s (ex)Fermentation30

chile flakes if you like things hot)1 tablespoon black or pink peppercorns1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds1 teaspoon fennel seeds2 teaspoons whole allspice1 teaspoon whole cloves2 teaspoons whole coriander1/2 teaspoon small pieces nutmeg1 tablespoon dill seeds

Makes about 1/2 cup (enough for a 5-gallon batch of pickles)