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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2016 www.gourmetnews.com NATURALLY HEALTHY 1 6 Fermentation Fervor Drives Market for Perfect Pickler BY LORRIE BAUMANN There's been a surge of consumer interest in fermenting foods over the past few years, fueled in part by scientific research into probiotics, prebiotics and gut health in general and aided by the increasing availability of pre-prepared vegetables in grocers' produce departments. Leading the way in this is fermentation guru Sandor Katz, author of "Wild Fermentation" and "The Art of Fermentation." "I got a repu- tation, and my friends started calling me 'Sandor Kraut,'" he said. That surge in interest has created a mar- ket for products like the Perfect Pickler, a do-it-yourself kit that enables consumers to make an unlimited supply of affordable fermented vegetables with no spillage or odors and with a minimum of counter space. The Perfect Pickler kit includes an airlock that prevents odors and spillage and simplifies the process. "There are no spills, no odors; it's completely foolproof," said Perfect Pickler Owner and Fermenta- tion Visionary Wendy Jackson. "There's no managing through the process This is just load it, lock it, leave it. Every time it's fool- proof. Fast and easy results." "Our kit is an affordable option. It only takes four days and it's foolproof," she added. Perfect Pickler has two products in the line, the Master System, which sup- plies everything the consumer needs to make fermented vegetables on the coun- tertop except a wide-mouth Mason jar, the vegetables and water, and an add-on sys- tem that allows users to ferment in two jars at once. "This reflects the demand from customers who were looking to do two at the same time, maybe one jar with curried cauliflower and one with sauer- kraut," Jackson said. The actual fermenting process is very simple – it's a matter of chopping vegeta- bles into small pieces, or buying ready- chopped vegetables, adding salt to create a brine and submerging the vegetables under the brine to keep them away from oxygen, then waiting while anaerobic bac- teria do their work. In this oxygen-free en- vironment, natural bacteria digest the natural sugars in the plant material and manufacture lactic acid, which discour- ages the growth of the kinds of microbes that cause food poisoning and adds its own flavor. Four days later, the sauerkraut or kimchee in the Perfect Pickler jar is ready to eat. It's essentially the same process that's also used to make wine, beer, yogurt and cheese. "Almost everybody in every part of the world eats and drinks the products of fer- mentation every day," Katz said. "Fer- mented foods are integrated into culinary traditions in every part of the world." Jackson herself has traveled to Africa and to India to teach fermentation workshops in places where that local culinary tradi- tion had died out over time. Her work- shops gave them back the skills to recreate traditional foods from their own culture. "Even in India it was gone," she said. "It was amazing to connect with the people." Historically, fermentation has been re- garded as a practical strategy for preserv- ing extremely perishable foods. Fermentation predates recorded history: human beings learned early that if they could control the mi- crobial changes that happen naturally to foods, they could make it last longer. "The alternative is that food decomposes into a ugly mess that no one would want to eat," Katz said. "I have dabbled in every realm of fermentation, but I am not an ex- pert.... Indigenous cultures around the world – that's where the real experts are." Katz noted that the most frequent ques- tions he hears as he travels the country speaking and teaching about fermentation is about whether the beginning fermenter runs a risk of making himself sick. Katz says no, that fermenting raw vegetables actually makes them safer. "People project all kinds of fears on fermentation," he said. "There never has been a single case of illness or food poisoning from fer- mented vegetables." Much of the recent interest in fermented vegetables has resulted from greater un- derstanding of the complexity of the mi- crobial communities that exist within the human body and within the gut in partic- ular. Katz noted that the cells in each of our bodies that carry our own DNA are ac- tually outnumbered by the bacteria living inside each of us. "They're not parasites. They're not free- loaders. They con- tribute to our functionality," Katz said. These bacteria are thought to be part of our natural de- fenses against harm- ful bacteria, and some research sug- gests that there may be a connection be- tween our mental health and the health of these gut bacteria in ways that aren't cur- rently understood, according to Katz. He noted that widespread chlorination of drinking water has deleterious effects on gut bacteria, decreasing its biodiversity, and consumption of probiotics is a strat- egy for remedying this, he said. "If we're really interested in cultivating biodiversity, we need to consume different kinds of fer- mented foods and beverages," he said. "Bacteria are not our enemies. They are our ancestors and our allies and they give us wonderful foods." GN Anuga Prepares for its 2017 Extravaganza of a Show A year ahead of its 2017 trade show, Anuga is reporting that registration is al- ready strong. New at the show next year will be Anuga Hot Beverages, a show- within-the-show that's devoted to coffee, tea and other hot beverages, and Anuga Culinary Concepts, which will bundle cooking skills, technology and gastron- omy concepts into an area that will in- clude a stage for the finals of two established professional competitions, the Chef of the Year and Patissier of the Year. Chef of the Year is in its fourth incarna- tion at Anuga 2017. Young aspiring chefs from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who've secured their place in the finals at Anuga through four initial rounds of com- petition will compete in a finale judged by a famous jury chaired by 3-star chef Dieter Muller. The Patissier of the Year competi- tion for pastry chefs debuted in 2015. Here again, young pastry chefs have bat- tled their way through to the finals in four preliminary rounds and will face a first- class jury in the final competition on Oc- tober 8. Anuga will be held in Cologne, Ger- many, from October 7 to 11, 2017. In total, more than 7,000 exhibitors, coming from around 100 countries, are expected to participate, and the show is open only to the trade. Anuga is continuing its "10 trade shows under one roof" philosophy, with the two new themes, Hot Beverages and Culinary Concepts, which are intended to do jus- tice to the growing importance of these two segments to the international food market. Anuga equally targets buyers from the food industry and from the restaurant industry, and around 160,000 buyers rep- resenting these two industries and coming from around the world are expected to at- tend. Other shows included in the event will include Anuga Fine Food, an area devoted to delicatessen, gourmet and basic food. It's the largest of the trade shows within the overall Anuga event, and it draws nu- merous nations to take part with joint pavilions that present the typical food and beverages of their home country. The ex- ceptional importance of olive oil to this market will be demonstrated once again by the Olive Oil Market special event and expanded into an international olive oil congress. The Anuga Frozen Food show will pres- ent offerings in one of the most important trendsetters within the food trade and to restaurateurs. We can expect to see inno- vations for both channels at Anuga. Anuga Meat offers sub-segments for sausages, red meat and poultry. The world's largest business platform for the meat market offers trade buyers an excel- lent overview of the industry. Anuga Chilled & Fresh Food is the trade show for fresh convenience foods, fresh delicatessen, fish and produce. This market segment targets time-stressed cus- tomers who still demand freshness and high quality and the restaurateurs and grocers who serve them. Anuga Dairy is the place to find cheese and yogurt as well as fresh milk. Anuga Dairy offers the most comprehensive overview of the international dairy market worldwide, according to show organizers. Anuga Bread & Bakery gathers jams, honey, chocolate-nut spreads, peanut but- ter and other sandwich spreads together with bread and bakery products for an as- sortment that's important both to the gro- cery trade as well as the hotel breakfast buffet. This trade show offers a compre- hensive overview of an extensive array of products that are essential around the world. Anuga Drinks is the showcase for bev- erages for the retail and food service sec- tors. Anuga offers both alcohol and alcohol-free beverages along with the "Anuga Wine Special" event, which pres- ents an attractively designed array of wines in combination with tasting ses- sions and specialized lectures. Anuga Organic presents a wide range of organic products from Germany and other countries with a clear focus on ex- port. The range of exhibits is enhanced by the "Anuga Organic Market" event, which focuses on the organic products of Anuga exhibitors from other trade shows. GN There is a convincing consensus among consumers when it comes to defining a "quality meal" – 75 percent say taste and flavor are key, 55 percent are looking for well-balanced and healthy options, and 41 percent feel quality means time spent at the table with family and friends, according to a "Quality Meal Survey" conducted the Na- tional Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Asso- ciation (NFRA). The mealtime dynamic was further re- vealed in the survey as 91 percent of re- spondents report they regularly eat dinner at home. However 60 percent conceded they are only spending 10 minutes or less enjoying food at the table together. The importance of family dinnertime has been well documented – from boost- ing vocabulary and elevating academic scores, to eating healthier and reducing obesity. According to the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (NFRA partner organization), "Children who participate in family mealtime can be 12 percent less likely to be over- weight and more likely to eat healthy foods, succeed academically, and have improved mental health." GN Study Finds That Quality Meal Means Taste, Health and Companions

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