An age-old culinary skill has found new favour with some of modern gastronomy’s best. We explore the how and why of fermentation

The idea of fermentation is as ancient as Neolithic beer and prevalent today as the process used to make kimchi, cheese, sourdough and probiotic dairy drinks. But the recent spotlight on fermentation in modern gastronomy has had the food world excited about the possibilities it brings to the table, from interesting new pairings to the growing prominence of acidic flavours.

Fermentation is a great technique,” says chef Ryan Clift of Tippling Club. It’s nothing trendy, nothing new—it has been around for centuries, since the dawn of Christ. However, a lot more chefs are using it in their food now, as it brings out different textures and flavours of an ingredient that other cooking methods can’t achieve.”

Daniele Sperindio, the head chef at Atlas, adds that the point of experimenting with fermentation is leveraging the complexity of the flavours it affords. That’s far from easy—one of the hardest things about it is achieving a dependable product, which can be done by figuring out the perfect environment to ferment in a consistent way. Sperindio has even started making his own soya sauce, which will take about a year to complete.

The idea of fermentation finding renewed interest among today’s top chefs is a good thing. It’s not a revolution per se, but it’s triggering consumers’ memories in new ways, forcing them to think about their food a bit more—and about the flavours and aromatics they might have previously taken for granted. Here, four chefs present dishes that cast the spotlight on fermented ingredients.

Don Mendoza