Ossigeno

THE PROCESS OF FERMENTATION The cornerstone of the Hansik cuisine is the thousand-year old technique of food fermentation. Starting from the philosophical concept behind this process, the phenomenon of fermentation is compared to the ‘creation of life’: the breakdown of the organic material originally used undergoes a process of synthesis and creates new elements. More simply, in practice, fermentation in water and salt transforms the sugars present in the organic matter. Traditionally, fermentation takes place in typical huge jars, the onggi, always present in every Korean home just like, in modern times, refrigerators have widespread in the rest of the world. The onggi, which in South Korea are usually smaller and rounded while in North Korea they are leaner, facilitate fermentation thanks to their porous surface that lets in air and light. There are two reasons why the fermentation method, still used today, spread throughout the country. The first is that once fermented, foods can be preserved for a long time; the second is that during the process of sugar transformation, lactic cultures are produced, which, as we know, are ‘good bacteria’ so precious for the body’s wellness. Soya beans, fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat: any food can be preserved and transformed using fermentation. This technique is, among others, in the diet of various Eastern countries. It is known, for instance, that 6000 years ago the men who built the Great Wall of China were fed with fermented sauerkraut, and that in Japan, one of the most popular side dishes today is tsukemono, vegetables soaked in brine usually served with rice. Some of the most popular fermented dishes in Korea are: kimchi, dish of marinated vegetables (usually made from Chinese cabbage, Korean radish or more rarely, cucumber), put in salted water with ginger, garlic, onion and chilli. There are many variations to this dish; it is served as a side dish or as an ingredient in soups and rice-based dishes; different banchan (side dishes), which through fermentation, become more savoury (sour, salty or spicy) and can be preserved for a long time; stews, or jjigae, also consumed as side dishes and usually served in glazed ceramic bowls. The most common version is the doenjang jjigae, a stew of soya cream, made in numerous variations. The common ingredients in this dish are: vegetables, fish and tofu; nuruk, or a fermented barley, wheat and rice mash; meju: a mash of soya grain, fermented too; makgeolli, a traditional rice wine from South Korea, prepared by mixing rice, wheat and water and fermenting all this until a 5-8 % alcohol content is obtained. The taste of this wine is sweet and its colour and texture resemble that of milk. 89 i n F e r m e n t