Fermented foods, traditional techniques, and fermentation culture.
Foodthink’s Perspective In October this year, Foodthink partnered with dozens of farmers’ markets, eco-farms, fermentation artisans, restaurants, publishing houses, and non-profit organisations to launch the ‘Ferment Awakening Festival’. In November, we hosted four book club sessions centred on Sandor Katz’s *The Art of Fermentation*. Our guest for the first session…
In this episode, we explore the wonderful world of cheese—the ultimate fermented food—and share the story of Liu Yang, the founder of Bule Cheese and a true Chinese cheese artisan. A Beijinger with a background in IT, Liu Yang stumbled upon the art of stirring milk and making cheese while…
Have you ever tried sourdough? Commercial sourdough often uses isolated, high-purity yeast, which speeds up production and ensures more consistent quality. However, these advantages come at the cost of the more distinctive flavours, textures, and mouthfeel provided by traditional mixed microbial cultures. In reality, yeast is omnipresent in our environment.…
This episode of “Food Talk” is a crossover with our fellow creators “Da Xiao Dian Bo”, marking our first time collaborating. We join Gusi, the host of “Da Xiao Dian Bo”, and regular guest Nanshan to explore the creative and delicious world of fermented foods. As the founder of the…
I. The Beginning In 2018, in a scattered village in Hong Kong’s New Territories that was facing imminent demolition, I baked my first sourdough loaf using a jar of fermented starter I’d just received from a friend. Looking back, it hadn’t really risen properly; it could hardly be called bread.…
Foodthink says Foodthink has hosted several reading groups focused on fermentation. During the process of selecting books, we noticed something: while fermentation culture is booming among foodie circles abroad, why hasn’t it taken off in China? This is a sentiment shared by the publishing professionals featured in this article: China…
A Word from Foodthink Sour chillies are a traditional Chinese fermented delicacy, particularly popular in the south. While each region has its own unique flavour and slightly different supporting ingredients, the method and principles of fermentation remain largely the same: salt is used to create an ideal environment for lactic…
The “Fermentation Awakening Life Festival”, co-hosted by Foodthink and the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market, opened its doors two weeks ago! Episodes on kombucha, mozzarella, and ricotta from “The Alchemy of Food” video series have been released in succession, while the “Art of Fermentation” book club has just concluded its second…
In this episode of Food Talk, we are joined by two guests with academic backgrounds in fermentation engineering, Mary and Liu Xinzheng, to discuss how their passion for home-brewing led them down the path of fermentation. While studying fermentation engineering at university, their shared love for beer—and a feeling that…
Foodthink Says Cheese is a profoundly traditional fermented food. Before the Industrial Revolution enabled mass production, the vast majority of cheese was handmade by farmers and small-scale producers. The flavour of the cheese was intimately tied to the season, the climate, and the methods used for producing the raw milk,…
