CHEESESLAVE

OK seriously, this is the most beautiful thing that has ever come out of my kitchen. Real sourdough bread, fermented for almost 24 hours. The perfect combination of delicious and digestible. And one of the very best vehicles for pastured butter.

Humans all over the world have been fermenting food since ancient times. The earliest evidence of winemaking dates back to eight thousand years ago in the Caucasus area of Georgia.

It’s very recent that fermented foods have begun to disappear from our plate. Modern pickles and sauerkraut are made with vinegar instead of the traditional method of lacto-fermentation using salt. Bread and pasta are made with commercial yeast instead of being naturally leavened with wild yeast (sourdough). Wine, beer and cheeses are being pasteurized — killing off all the good bacteria we so desperately need to maintain health.

But there are many advantages to going back to the traditional ways of our ancestors, and eating more fermented foods.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays. Visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for more stories about real food.
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