Learn 00 — Secrets of Fermentation
The Secrets of Fermentation— So what is fermentation? —
Mugi and Hakkoh-chan prepare one batch of miso, wait half a year, and open it. Three minutes an episode, twelve episodes in all. If the science feels heavy, start here.
Chapter 1
Something unseen is there
Why do miso and yogurt both taste so good?So what is fermentation?Living things too small to see are remaking our food
What is the difference between going bad and fermenting?How is it different from going bad?The same thing is happening. What differs is which living thing wins
That white stuff is a mold, isn’t it? Is it safe to eat?What exactly is koji?People spent a very long time choosing a mold that makes no toxinChapter 2
What is happening
Once the batch is prepared, are the microbes still alive in there?The koji mold leaves its tools behindThe koji mold stops being able to work, and the enzymes it left work on
Is some new taste being added?Why does it taste so good?A taste too big to notice becomes small enough to notice
Is it really all right left in the kitchen for half a year?Why doesn’t it go bad?Miso is protected by four walls, layered one over anotherChapter 3
Prepare it, and wait
Is it hard? Do I need special equipment?Let’s prepare a batchYour hands move for one day only. What matters is setting four conditions
It looks as though nothing is happening, though?Who is doing the work in there?Out of sight, the lead role passes from lactic acid bacteria to yeasts
Is it mold? Do I have to throw it away?Something white has appeared!Do not go by white. Look at whether it lies flat as a film or stands up like fluffChapter 4
Take a look around
What is the difference between the red one and the white one?How do the misos of Japan differ?What sets color and taste apart is the ingredients, the proportions and the time
Do people in other countries do the same thing?Is there fermentation elsewhere in the world?The same principle becomes a different taste, depending on the ingredients and the living things
What will it be like when we open it?Let’s open itWaiting, too, is important work that makes fermentation happen