Once a relatively niche culinary technique, adopted by a handful of experimental chefs, today fermentation is a cornerstone of the global restaurant scene.
Fermentation has long been a cornerstone of food cultures around the world, but until recently, only a handful of experimental chefs incorporated the technique in their kitchens.
Today, it’s a different story: shelves lined with bubbling jars, ageing sauces and carefully labelled ferments are now a familiar sight in many of the world’s leading kitchens. Chefs are investing in dedicated fermentation labs, crafting custom-made condiments and using Japanese koji to weave deep umami flavours through menus and elevate regional produce.
A sprawling ecosystem is cropping up to meet this demand, with ingredient suppliers and fermentation startups reporting rapidly rising orders from professional kitchens. Chefs link this fascination with fermentation to benefits around sustainability and health concerns, as well as its ability to add novel flavours to dishes.
Reimagining ancient techniques
The process of transforming foods using microorganisms like bacteria, yeast and mould has existed for millennia.
Chemical analysis of ancient Chinese pottery jars has uncovered evidence of Neolithic villagers making a fermented drink of rice, honey and hawthorn some 9,000 years ago. Sauerkraut, kefir and kvass have been staples of Eastern European cuisine for many hundreds of years. It’s a similar story for Korea’s kimchi, initially adopted to preserve vegetables ahead of harsh winters.
Fusillone with fermented mushroom cream and koji, a signature dish at Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler [Image: Dalge]
“Today’s chefs are rediscovering knowledge that has existed for generations and applying it with greater precision and understanding,” says Norbert Niederkofler, of Italy’s Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler.
“Fermentation offers value on many levels,” he explains. “It allows the team to preserve the best local produce when it is as its peak, helping to carry those flavours beyond their natural season. It also reduces waste by finding meaningful uses for ingredients that might otherwise be discarded, while creating entirely new flavour profiles through natural processes.
“More importantly, fermentation is a reminder that cooking is not only about transformation through heat,” he adds. “It is one of the greatest culinary techniques because it allows nature itself to develop an ingredient’s flavour, complexity and balance over time.”
Cross-cultural phenomenon
From Bangkok to Cape Town, London to Italy, fermentation is now firmly established on menus.
At 7th Door in Seoul, the welcome dish celebrates fermented ingredients
That wasn’t always the case, says Eduard Xatruch, one of the three acclaimed chefs at Barcelona’s Disfrutar (named The World’s Best Restaurant 2024 and a member of the Best of the Best hall of fame). “The truth is that at Disfrutar, especially in the early days of the restaurant, fermentation techniques were not something we paid much attention to.”
Many other restaurants were already doing “fantastic work” and the team was conscious that Mediterranean cuisine is less rooted in the technique (albeit it has been used for thousands of years in staples like bread and wine).
Then, in 2018, a thematic project designed to give a greater understanding of fermentation and its potential garnered promising results. “At that point, we began producing our own koji to make shio koji [a Japanese live seasoning],” says Xatruch. “One of the first things we did was use shio koji to marinate meats – in this case, pigeon. We later tried it with seafood as well, with very good results.
“Little by little, we lost our fear of fermentation and continued experimenting with different types.”
Today Calçotada, made using a traditional romesco sauce, fermented to create romesco miso, is one of the most important dishes on Disfrutar’s menu, Xatruch says. The team has also developed dishes using lactic and salt-based fermentations to enhance sauces and reinforce stocks. “For example, we make a hare garum to intensify a hare stock and we do the same with mushrooms.”
At Cape Town’s Salsify at the Roundhouse, chef Ryan Cole has even created a Preservation Chamber, showcasing the pickling, fermentation and preservation of South African ingredients used throughout the menu. Depending on the season, it could house num num berries stored in rice spirit or bokkom garum (fermented fish sauce).
At Salsify at the Roundhouse, Chef Ryan Cole makes the most of local produce by experimenting with fermentation
“We have used fermentation since the inception of Salsify [in 2018] to some degree or another, to capture seasonal harvests or bring out depth and complexity in simple ingredients,” he says. “We use it as an accent all through our menu, from our kefir pineapple and ginger soda to our lacto-fermented hot sauce that goes into the base of our Chakalaka with the lamb rib.”
At Credo in Oslo, chef and founder Heidi Bjerkan uses fermentation to extend the life of seasonal Norwegian produce, while creating deeper, more complex flavours. “For example, with hand-dived scallops, we use the muscle raw as it is, the roe as the egg component in our chawanmushi, and transform the skirt into a garum,” says Bjerkan. “With horseradish, we use the whole root: the freshly grated juice is used as it is, while the fibres are fermented and become a base for many of our sauces.”
Although fermentation is not foundational to the menu at Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, it is used by the team to add depth, balance and “natural complexity” to dishes, Niederkofler explains. On the current menu, for example, is a white fermented asparagus sauce served with river fish.
“The fermentation gives the asparagus a refined acidity and savoury character that complements the delicate flavour of the dish while preserving the essence of the ingredient itself,” he explains. “For Atelier, fermentation is most valuable when it serves the product rather than overshadowing it.”
Fermenting ecosystem
Fermentation is now so popular that even smaller restaurants, mid-market chains, cafés, sandwich bars and bakeries are all experimenting with it, creating a supply ecosystem that’s changing in both scale and scope.
The corn beignet with fermented cottage cheese, smoked trout roe and wild chives from Hiša Franko in Slovenia
Nick Vadasz, founder of fermented condiment brand Vadasz and author of The Pickle Jar, has seen the evolution in supply firsthand. “When we started back in 2011, we were supplying some quite high-end restaurants but gradually, those chefs began fermenting themselves,” he recalls. “Now we supply those restaurants that have multiple sites and perhaps don’t have the space or time to do fermentation themselves. It’s being embraced by a real diversity of establishments.”
While it has certainly enjoyed a recent boost in popularity, Niederkofler is keen to frame fermentation not as a fad, but as a “natural and intelligent way of cooking.”
“[It helps chefs] unlock the full potential of local ingredients, preserve biodiversity and create flavours deeply rooted in tradition while remaining relevant to contemporary cuisine.”
Cole agrees. “I think we have entered the phase where it is a lot more than a trend. It’s reclaimed its place in top kitchens as a tool to unlock and build flavour and it’s giving chef’s the opportunity to rewrite what flavours are achievable.”
Header image: A selection of kombuchas from Hiša Franko [Image: Enisa Mujezinović]
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