If you are a fermenter, you probably own a copy of the Noma Guide to Fermentation. For our season finale Ivana drove over to Copenhagen for a one hour interview with the writer of this book and thé O.G. master of fermentation David Zilber. In his funky fermentation lab where he works on innovative applications of microbes for Novonesis, they speak about their brief shared history at Noma, his life as a food scientist now and they reflect on the first season of the fermentation cast combining his personal anecdotes with our fermentation tree. Stay tuned till the end to discover how you too can became a true fermentation fairy.

Did you actually know vanilla is fermented? And not by a very common microbe! It is Bacillus that gives that oomph, making vanilla one of the most popular flavours in the world. In this episode we dive deeper into how vanilla is produced and what role Bacillus plays in that production. We introduce the last category of the fermentation tree and hope to spark your enthusiasm for this funky friend.

Tempeh is a fermented food from Indonesia that consists of soy beans grown together by the mold Rhizopus oligosporus. That in itself is a delicious food, but there are many more applications that can be made using this fungus. In our transition to a more plant-based world, it makes sense to first explore what we already have on hands. Listen to this episode and learn how to tame this fluffy friend.

Ivana visited Expo West in Los Angeles to explore the alternative protein market. There, she found multiple companies that use fermentation to save our future food supplies. This episode is a teaser for what we want to report on in a future season: a deep dive into the vast array of possibilities when it comes to fermentation. And... we dare you to try these fermentations at home ;-)

Shoyu - a delight that lifts every dish from mediocre to next level. How is it made, how can you make it from other ingredients than soy beans and can Dutchies make a Japanese-approved shoyu IN The Netherlands ? During this episode we unveil the secrets of soy sauce and visit Dutch soy sauce makers from Tomasu in Rotterdam - who have (believe it or not) fallen in love with this umami flavourmaker...

This episode is a little different than our usual episodes. For our last edition of the Blub Club fermentation club in Amsterdam, we decided to record a live episode with our club members. We were joined by Saki Morita: a Japanese home fermenter that tells us all about the challenges and possibilities of making miso at home. Build on your koji knowledge from our previous episode and apply it in miso! How to make it, how to play with the flavour and also, how to cook with it.

Aspergillus oryzae... This magical mould has hundreds of applications that are being uncovered one by one by creative fermenters all over the world. Before yóu start kojifying everything, you might want to get to know this bug a little better: who are you? How do I work with you? What do you need to be happy? And why can I eat you, but can't I eat some of your other fuzzy friends?

This ancient drink turns out to be not so non-alcoholic as we thought! How is it made, why does it often still contain alcohol and how can we keep the ABV as low as possible? We explain it all in this episode. We end the episode with a visit to a very special kombucha brewer in Amsterdam: Nicolas Adam from Leave Your Sword Kombucha Brewery. His alcohol measurement machine has provoked quite some chefs ánd he makes delicious single estate kombuchas. A true kombucha purist avant la lettre.

We thought vinegar was not the sexiest topic when talking about fermentation. Little did we know! Upon writing the episode and diving deeper into this product we discovered there is so much more to this tangy liquid than one could imagine. We talk you through what acetic acid bacteria are, how balsamic vinegar is made and we teach you how to properly pronounce chinkiang vinegar!

Beer is what brought our fermentation guru Ivana to fermentation! Discovering how different yeasts can turn the same wort into two completely different beers blew her mind. In the episode we talk about how temperature influences aroma development in yeasts, how to make a delicious alcohol-free beer and how to make a bad tasting one ;-)