The "fermentation" aspect of these sauces is kinda scary now. This isn't just making beer or bread level; this is (can be) next level fermentation where evil ktulu looking things come out of the jar and eat the rest of the shelf sometimes. "Goodie Weston's breads are fine but watch out for the fish sauce, it'll make you talk to God."
On the other hand I'm super happy fermented foods are en vogue right now and lots of chefs are playing around with it. It means that I don't have to make everything myself if I want it. Hard kombucha, fermented pizza dough, pickled veggies, so much sourdough, kimchi, tempeh, doubanjiang are just on the shelves at the "Western" grocery stores. It's amazing.
True and I'm thinking of the fancier and harder things like the Worcestershire sauce or such that would've been around but still the realm of specialists. you can make likker with rats and water, but you can also make incredibly nasty things you'll wish you hadn't :)
See also curing meats and some of the uglier cheeses. We've tamed many microbes in service of foods.
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The "fermentation" aspect of these sauces is kinda scary now. This isn't just making beer or bread level; this is (can be) next level fermentation where evil ktulu looking things come out of the jar and eat the rest of the shelf sometimes. "Goodie Weston's breads are fine but watch out for the fish sauce, it'll make you talk to God."
On the other hand I'm super happy fermented foods are en vogue right now and lots of chefs are playing around with it. It means that I don't have to make everything myself if I want it. Hard kombucha, fermented pizza dough, pickled veggies, so much sourdough, kimchi, tempeh, doubanjiang are just on the shelves at the "Western" grocery stores. It's amazing.
? Lactofermentation has been around for eons- everything from sauerkraut to kimchi, to yoghurt to soy to any number of other things.
True and I'm thinking of the fancier and harder things like the Worcestershire sauce or such that would've been around but still the realm of specialists. you can make likker with rats and water, but you can also make incredibly nasty things you'll wish you hadn't :)
See also curing meats and some of the uglier cheeses. We've tamed many microbes in service of foods.