A jar of fermenting cabbage in a Prague hostel kitchen surprised me

I was backpacking through Europe and stayed at a hostel in Prague. In the common kitchen, I saw a jar of cabbage bubbling away on the counter. The traveler making it explained his simple sauerkraut process. It hit me that fermentation can happen anywhere, even on the road. Now I always pack a small fermenting kit when I travel.

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_patel412mo ago

Start a fermenting jar in every country you visit.

vera_brown401mo ago

Consider the local microbes you're capturing. My kimchi starter in Seoul tasted totally different from one I made back home, not just the spices but the funk itself. It's like a flavor snapshot of a place's invisible ecosystem.

robert_rodriguez662mo ago

Made a jar of fermented carrots in a Berlin hostel last fall. Just used tap water, salt, and a repurposed pickle jar from the discount grocery. Left it on the windowsill for a week while I day-tripped to Potsdam. Came back to a perfectly fizzy, slightly funky snack. It's the best kind of souvenir because you eat the evidence.