Alliance Three: Fermentation

Fermentation is similar to baking, that is why is is a cooking method in a way. Fermentation is also a cooking method, because we had to prepare the cucumber in a specific way, in order to preserve it for a longer period of time. The goal of fermenting was to prevent the vegetable from spoiling, and we also wanted to encourage growth of "good" microorganisms. Fermentation requires special ingredients and controlled conditions, such as temperature and pH. It is also an anaerobic process, since it is only able to be carried out if and only if it is carried out without oxygen. If you are eating a fermented food, obviously the microorganisms would help preserve the food, but it would also change its flavor and the texture. In my alliance group, we fermented a cucumber which later became a pickle. We put the cucumber in a jar and soaked the vegetable in a salt brine, in order to allow the growth of bacteria. The bacteria ate up the cucumber's sugars and eventually produced a tart-tasting lactic acid, causing the vegetable to turn into a pickle. After, we sealed the jar with a cap and let it set for a couple of weeks in a cool place. In case, if you didn't know what salt brine is...basically it is consists of boiled vinegar, water, and salt.The ingredients used in this experiment were: a tablespoon of salt, 1/2 cup of water, 3/4 of a cucumber, and 1 1/2 cup of vinegar.