VN – 12 Feb, 2025

This photo represents so much about the Fermenting Cultures project. A plate of ferments from Africa and the Caribbean bought in Brixton, south London. Nutritious, affordable, and made in small batches using traditional methods. I’ve consumed this kind of food all my life but never thought of it as fermented. Growing up, we never used the word 'fermented' to describe it. Many still don't.

Of course, every culture on the globe has fermenting practices. For millennia our ancestors have been aware of the benefits of these foods. These days, fermented food and drink are becoming hugely popular - think, sourdough bread, kimchi, and kombucha. Yet, the algorithms of the internet would have us believe that fermented foods from Africa and the diaspora are a rarity. But I am slowly teaching my search engine to find what I need. And a walk around the stores, markets, restaurants, and cafés of south London is a proving revelation. I'm feeling nourished already.

Clockwise from top: Ginger beer (Barbados), hot pepper sauce (Trinidad), Injera (Ethiopia), Escovitch sauce (Jamaica), Kenkey (Ghana).