Portland, Oregon Fermentation Festival Celebrates the Food That Microbes Make Possible
If you haven’t yet heard, fermentation— the process by which foods are partially broken down by living microorganisms— is big!
Consider some of the more common ferments that many of us know and love: beer, wine, sauerkraut , bread, yogurt, and pickles—all are ferments, and that just scratches the surface.
Many foods can be safely preserved for long periods of time only because they can be fermented. Not only that, science is beginning to catch up with nature in terms of our understanding of the important role that microbes play in human health. There are billions of microorganisms that live in our gut; their varied composition and number are now suspected to play a significant role in maintaining individual health.
Of course, food preservation and personal health are not the entire benefit package of eating fermented foods. The variety of ferments and their different individual tastes, are also a big reason for their growing popularity.
The fermentation festival is an opportunity for beginners to experience first-hand a variety of foods under one roof. Even more, it tastefully illustrates how the tiny world of microorganisms looms so incredibly large upon the culinary world—and beyond.