SANDOR ELLIX KATZ on Cultures of Fermentation /359
Overhead photo of a golden colored scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast used in the fermentation of kombucha) with bubbles emerging from the surface; courtesy of Maksim Shebeko.
“No organism is an island.” As Sandor Katz reminds us in this delightful and informative episode, all life on earth is deeply interdependent. Though modern food systems alienate us from our environments and from the ways, we cannot totally sever ourselves from the environments and nutrients that make life possible. Sandor shows that alienation and disconnection will not free us. Rather, settling into the overlapping and diverse entwinement of the more-than-human world may bring connection and sustenance in close relation to our food production. The story of humanity is embedded in our food, embedded in the daily tasks and practical measures that sustain us.
This conversation bubbles over with wisdom, as Sandor shares stories and lessons from his decades of experience experimenting with the art of fermentation. The skills of fermentation, cooking, and self sufficiency can be incredibly empowering. Despite conceptions that these may be difficult or complex tasks, these basic acts of sustenance can be both simple and life affirming. Fermentation is the manifestation of biodiversity, and as Sandor emphasizes, the study of fermentation is as much a study of our own tastes and cultural transitions as it is a study of our environments.
“Fermentation is a manifestation of the fact of biodiversity.”
Photo of Sandor Ellix Katz
Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. He is the author of five books: Wild Fermentation; The Art of Fermentation; The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved; Fermentation as Metaphor; and his latest, Fermentation Journeys. Sandor's books, along with the hundreds of fermentation workshops he has taught around the world, have helped to catalyze a broad revival of the fermentation arts. A self-taught experimentalist who lives in rural Tennessee, the New York Times calls him “one of the unlikely rock stars of the American food scene.” Sandor is the recipient of a James Beard award and other honors. For more information, check out his website www.wildfermentation.com.
♫ The music in this episode is “Zithertronix” and “Perpetuity” by Matthewdavid.
Episode References
“Fermentation as Metaphor” – with Sandor Katz
'Fermentation': When Food Goes Bad But Stays Good
Sandor Katz's Fermentation Journeys
The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved
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For The Wild Podcast is an anthology of the Anthropocene; focused on land-based protection, co-liberation and intersectional storytelling rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth and consumerism.