Introduction
FERMENTED FOOD plays such an important role in food and culture. The discovery of fermented foods, has given country's from all corners of the world the ability to extend the shelf life of foods. The gift of fermentation is the gift that keeps on giving. Without the discovery of fermentation, we wouldn't have ketchup, beer, champagne, wine, ranch dressing, miso soup, and cheeseburgers, wouldn't be cheeseburgers without fermentation.
Chowhound gives a great description of what fermentation is...
"Fermentation is a process in which food is exposed to bacteria and yeasts, either via inoculation or naturally through the air. Beneficial microorganisms beat out the kind that can kill you, and eat up the carbohydrates in the food.
Before refrigeration, curing meats, pickling vegetables, and clabbering milk was the only way to extend the life of perishables. And if fermented foods haven’t been cooked, they are really good for you (cooking kills off the beneficial bacteria)" (Chowhound.com).
CREDIT: Courtesy of Fix.com
Fermentation and pickling are related but not quite the same. The main difference is fermentation adds a bacteria to break down the complex sugars. Pickling uses salts or vinegar to preserve the food but doesn't include the bacteria.
Got all that? What it all means is you can get more variety of flavors than with just seasoning and the food lasts a lot longer.
Alright let's go!
Fermentation Around the World
We first want to briefly touch on different countries and what they've contributed to world in regards to fermented foods.
Asia
Asia has given the world so many fermented foods. Some things more appealing than others. China has given us soy sauce, stinky tofu, fermented bean curd, and even the 1,000 year old. Korea brought us kimchi (one of our favorites), and gochujang, a fermented chili paste. From Japan, we like to enjoy miso, and if you're very adventurous, you've probably had natto, a sticky, slimey breakfast item that is fermented soy beans.
Southeast Asia is notorious for fermented foods. Fish sauce comes out of the region, Vietnam is credited for really perfecting the sauce. Shrimp paste is a staple in Mekong basin, Thailand uses a lot of this in their dishes. Prahok comes out of Cambodia, we'll have more details on what it is and why it's so popular.
This is the Phu Quoc fish sauce factory in Vietnam. Each barrel contains nearly 13 tons of anchovies, salt, and water. When the fermentation process is done, this will be strained, filtered, and fish sauce is the end product.
CREDIT: Courtesy of Nuocmamhoanggia.com
Germany
Sauerkraut uses lactic acid bacteria to sour the cabbage, the same bacteria found in Kimchi, and Chruk Spey.
CREDIT: Courtesy of creativearts.haywood.edu
Everyone knows about fermentation in Germany, and most of Europe. While it wasn’t started there, they certainly made it an art form in the beer and wine making process. Specific yeasts are used for creating the fermentation process and providing some of the flavor of our favorite beverages like wine and beer.
But Germans also like their food fermented as well. Coming from a long history of storing food during cold winter months, It’s hard to imagine the need for storing vegetables that long. But one of our favorite foods, sauerkraut, is created using bacteria to keep it edible and tasty.
France
Fermentation gave us wine and cheese... wine gives us a hangover, and cheese gives us gas. #themoreyouknow
CREDIT: Courtesy of Google Image
France has mastered the art of fermentation. Wine making in the region spans a period of at least 2600 years, and cheesemaking predates recorded history. So we can say France is the champ of wine and cheese making.
Winemaking uses yeast to break down the sugars in grape juice, converting it into alcohol.
Cheese comes from the same bacteria that ferments vegetables, lactic acid. Cheese may have been discovered accidentally by the practice of storing milk in containers made from the stomachs of animals.
Africa
Umqombothi is fairly low in alchohol,
CREDIT: Courtesy of Umubavu.com
In Africa, you can find a variety of fermented vegetables, grains, and some meats. Two of southern Africa’s most popular fermented products are amasi, or sour milk, and amahewu, a non-alcoholic fermented maize drink. Beer is thought to be discovered in Africa. Umqombothi or sorghum beer that is made from cooked maize or sorghum by wild yeast fermentation.
South America
Chicha de jora, fermented maize.
CREDIT: Courtesy of vice.com
Our favorite thing to come out of South America is cachaca, it's a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane. Cachaca is used to make this amazing cocktail called Caipirinha, which is muddled limes, cachaca, and sugar. Chicha de Jora is another popular drink to come out of South America. Chicha de Jora is fermented maize, basically corn beer.
North America
CREDIT: Courtesy of thekitchn.com
When you think of fermented foods that come out of North America, you might be pounding your head but here are some items you'll probably recognize. From the pacific islands, poi. Poi is mashed taro root, that is either eaten immediately, or allowed to ferment. From San Francisco, there's sourdough bread. The dough is allowed to ferment, which gives it that mildly sour taste.
Did we miss something?
I'm sure we're missing a ton of different fermented dishes from around the world. If there's a fermented dish you'd like us to know about, please let us know by sending us a message on instagram or email us! We love learning about new foods from different parts of the world.
So what are some Cambodian dishes that are fermented?
We could talk, and talk a lot about Cambodian dishes and how many dishes include fermented items. But We are going to introduce just a fraction of some traditional Cambodian fermented foods, tell you how they are prepared and how to use them in cooking or just eating.
Fermentation is a necessity to preserve food since a lot of Cambodia is still undeveloped and refrigeration is a luxury a lot of Cambodians can’t afford.
Grilled snake head fish you can find at the market along with different soups and fried items.
CREDIT: Courtesy of Intrepidtravel.com
Prahok
Select the image for more information about Prahok.
Prehaps the most popular fermented item found in Cambodia, prahok is fermented mudfish (aka snakehead fish), that is used soups, sauces, and as a cooked side.
Popular dishes that contain Prahok
Prahok Jien - Prahok is mixed with grounded meat, and fried with garlic, red chiles, lemongrass, and accompanied with cucumbers, green eggplant, and herbs.
Somlar Machu Kroeung - A popular soup in amongst the Cambodian community. This sour soup gets it flavor from tamarind, and a lemongrass mixture called "Kroeung". Prahok is added to to the soup to give it a savory component along with umami.
For more information about Prahok, check out our blog about Prahok.