The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina talks about one of the hottest ‘new’ trends in food for the past few years - fermenting. And - as it is also one of the healthiest trends, and can help us all to take back power over our food choices - it’s a great topic for the New Year

Fermentation, the hottest ‘new’ trend in food for the past few years is gradually becoming main stream as the word gets out that fermented foods are one of the easiest ways to enhance our gut flora. So if you haven’t already started to experiment, now could be the time.

Our Western diet is sadly lacking in fermented foods but many popular foods are in fact fermented including yoghurt, beer, salami, vinegar, fermented black beans, tempeh, miso…

The problem is that some of these foods, like yoghurt, are so hugely processed and sweetened and refined that there’s very little value left. In fact there’s quite a school of thought that would argue that they are downright damaging to one’s health rather than beneficial.

So avoid hugely processed food totally - I can’t be stronger than that, but as time passes I am increasingly concerned that there’s a real and growing problem. The number of people I encounter on a daily basis who have a number of intolerances or allergies or worse still a combination is truly alarming.

People are confused and in some cases downright desperate trying to find and choose foods that they can eat without ill effects. Many are see-sawing from one ‘super food’ or whacky diet to another, grasping at straws.

Well, for what it’s worth, here’s my advice - which of course you are welcome to take or leave, agree or disagree, but it comes from my observation over 50 years or more, for 31 of which I’ve been running a cookery school where students come for both short and also three month courses, from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and nationalities.

The number of students arriving with allergies and intolerances has skyrocketed in recent years. While they are with us, they have the option to eat raw butter and drink raw organic milk and thick Jersey milk yoghurt.

Those with wheat intolerance (not coeliac) seem to be able to eat totally natural sourdough bread made with organic flour without ill effects. Several who couldn’t tolerate eggs seem to be able to enjoy our free range organic eggs; Vegetarians decide to try meat when they know the provenance.

Those with gut problems, of which there seem to be alarming numbers nowadays, report a dramatic improvement in their condition when they eat natural yoghurt made with no additives.

So what’s going on? This is simply my observation or anecdotal evidence and of little or no value in the scientific world, but research is urgently needed. Can it be that increasingly people are allergic to the process rather that the initial natural food, certainly there’s enough anecdotal evidence to make it worth investigating.

Sadly, unless there’s a perceived commercial benefit it’s difficult to get a research project going nowadays.

Meanwhile, we can all take back power over our food choices and start to ferment some simple foods at home.

Here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School we’ve been offering three Fermentation courses a year and the fascinating journey continues. Each new class builds on the previous one as we experiment more and our knowledge deepens.

If you are beginning your journey, a brilliant new book Fermented: A Beginner's Guide to Making Your Own Sourdough, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kimchi and More by Charlotte Pike, has recently been published by Kyle Books. I so wish this book had been available when I was starting, clear, concise and confidence boosting.

Hot Tip

Learn how easy it is to make many of your own fermented foods at home at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. From kefir to kombucha; German sauerkraut to Korean kimchi, krauchi ….learn how to make and look after these superfoods, as well as discovering a selection of our favourite recipes that use them.

If you grow your own produce you will discover myriad ways to preserve the bounty of your harvest and enjoy it through the winter. This course will familiarise you with a wide variety of fermented foods and you will get to see and taste them for yourself. 

'Fermented' Courses at Ballymaloe Cookery School:

Fermented Foods for a Healthier Life - half day courses offered on Wed 3rd February and Wed 1st June 2016 (€145)
www.cookingisfun.ie for further information.

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

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Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie