Norwegian Would?

Sorry Beatles Fans, if you were looking for a little insight into the Fab Four, this isn't the place.  But, now that I have your attention, feel free to read on as I take a look at some historical facts about pickling and fermentation.

I used the title "Norwegian Would?", because its fascinating to me how these northerly countries survived so many long winters and short growing seasons.  Though the starting point for pickling goes back to India about 5,000 years ago, give or take a few years, people living in these northern climates had to come up with ways to preserve food throughout the year.  Drying, smoking, salt and brining solutions were the answer.  The salting and brining resulted in a form of fermentation, thus preserving the food.

My childhood home was filled with jars of vegetables grown in our garden.  We pickled everything from Asparagus to Zucchini.  I could run off a list like Bubba in Forrest Gump of his mother's shrimp dishes, but that could get monotonous.  Suffice it to say, we were loaded for the winter.

One might wonder if pickled foods are as nutritious as fresh foods.  The fact of the matter is that they are MORE nutritious.  Let me explain why.  During the fermentation that occurs when pickling, a "good" bacteria is produced that inhibits the growth of "bad" bacteria in our intestines.  The process also "shrinks" the vegetable, thereby, condensing the vitamin C content, which results in better absorption of iron.  I'm sure the list of benefits is extensive, and I engage readers to add to it.

As always, The Fermented Gourmet is here to provide interesting tidbits of information about fermented foods.  If anybody has any topic suggestions, please let me know.  Otherwise, I'll continue talking about the things that I like!

FG