Fermentation, the most gentle and fragrant explosion in the universe.
Fermented food can be seen everywhere in life. The original intention of fermentation is toMake food last longer., but surprisingly, this has nothing to do with time"confrontation"However, it brings unexpected surprises to human taste. Microbes are in this game.crownless king, will"the taste of time"Into the food.
Fermentation is the use of microorganisms, inaerobicoranaerobicConditions, mass production or accumulation.Biological cell、EnzymesandMetabolic productPass the raw materials through a specificmetabolic pathway, the process of transforming into products needed by human beings.
microorganismSpecies diversityDifferent microorganisms have the ability to produce different metabolites. Yogurt with rich taste and mouthfeel is fermented by different strains.
The fermentation process of bread, source: wikiart
As early as thousands of years ago, peopleEngaged in fermentation productionThe record. According to Records of the Historian, Yi Di made "purport wine" to offer Dayu, which is China.Brewing wine with grainofbeginning; Written by Jia Sixie, an agronomist, in the 6th century.Qi min Yao ShuIn,expand onThe steps of food fermentation were introduced. But,The story of fermentation seems to be older than we thought..
Since the Neolithic Age, humans have made fermented food. The earliest types are beer, wine, fermented bread and cheese, followed by East Asia, yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, vinegar, butter and many traditional alcoholic beverages.
In 200 BC, Egyptians made wooden models of beer.
Source: Getty Images
However, for early human society, basic food raw materialstransformThe process of fermenting food is a processconundrum, is also a.miracle. Due to the lack of scientific knowledge, they don’t know what caused this change. People believe that these are allGod’s gift: Ancient Greek culture believed thatGod of wine and plantsBacchus endowed the world with such delicacies; In Japan, a small shrine is often set up in the center of some miso and soy sauce breweries to worship "God of flavor enhancement”……
Caravaggio Bacchus, Source: wikiart
With the development of science, people can see the world with higher and higher resolution.
The invention of compound microscope made human beings see these for the first time."miniature god". In 1675, the great microscopist Anton van Leeuwenhoek first observed it in rain.monad, he thinks this is the ancient Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro in the 1st century BC.On agricultureMentioned inInvisible creature "animalcules".
In 1789, lavoisier, the "father of modern chemistry", wrote a paper on "Basic Chemistry".first timeClearly describesFermentation process.
However, fermentation was considered as a process of death at that time, not"samsara" of life.
A famous portrait of lavoisier and his wife. Lavoisier’s wife, Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, is his collaborator, translating English scientific works for him and illustrating his books. In that era when women were not recognized, for many scholars, Mary-Anne Boltz was one of the many "hidden behind" female scientists in history.
Fermentation is"life behavior"This view is influenced by"vitality theory"(vitalism) is strong. The theory of vitality is mystical and originated from ancient Greek scholars.AristotleThey think that biologyHave a soul, all the activities of the organism by itsinsideof"vitality"Or "vitality".
At a time when the mainstream chemical community issuedstrongly opposeVoice, they put forward "mechanism", that fermentation is a purely physical and chemical reaction,Nothing to do with life. A long-lasting scientific debate began. Although people gradually realized that yeast is a living organism, the specific process and essential principle of fermentationThere is still controversy..
Louis pasteur, source: wiki
This debate was finally ended by the French chemist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). In the 1950s and 1960s, he proved through a series of experiments and research that.Fermentation is initiated by living organisms., which is what we know.lactobacillus.
In the 1900s, when traveling in Bulgaria, Russian bacteriologist Elie Metchnikoff noticed that there were many centenarians in Bulgaria. By investigating local eating habits, he found that local residents often drank yogurt, so he named the strains in this yogurt as.Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
Metchnikoff believes that the reason why Bulgarians live longer is that they.long term、in large quantitiesDrink yogurt. Leo F. Rettger, a researcher at Yale University, based on Metchnikoff’s research results, found thatLactobacillus strains are very active in human intestines., is a human to maintain good health.Important elements. Lactobacillus bulgaricus continues to multiply and spread to this day, helping human health and longevity.The gift of this tiny life is really amazing.. Bulgaria is also known as the hometown of yogurt.
These magical microorganisms not only satisfy people’s tastes and improve people’s stomachs, but also create unique ones.Artistic taste.
In the brewing process of wine, fermentation isMost criticalA link in. Adding active yeast to grape juice, it happens.Anaerobic reactionYeast and sugar in wineinteraction, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Sugar in grape juice is absorbed by yeast in the air.Swallowing-Different yeasts in the air are the factors that give wine many subtle flavors.. Finally, the mission of yeast is completed, and it precipitates to the bottom of wine to become residue.
Gilles Lapalus and Cameron Robbins’ fermentation drawing device, source: wiki.
Winemaker Gilles Lapalus and artist Cameron Robbins connected a plotter to a barrel of brewing wine, and the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation was extracted from the barrel.air brakeOut of it,driveThe brush leaves ink on a slowly rotating piece of paper. In this way, the wonderful fermentation process is seen by us, and the trajectory of the circles is written by the yeast.Life symbol.
Video of wind fermentation drawing equipment
Source: cameronrobbins.com.
Patterns drawn by wind fermentation drawing equipment
Source: cameronrobbins.com.
Brush strokes of drawing equipment for wind fermentation
Source: cameronrobbins.com.
Brush strokes of drawing equipment for wind fermentation
Source: cameronrobbins.com.
Do you want to listen to the music played by microorganisms? At the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the artist Joshua Pablo Rosenstock created a novel.Multi-sensory device, Fermentophone.
Fermentophone
Source: JoshuaPabloRosenstock.com.
The device includes a series of fermented foods and drinks, including lactic acid starter, different pickles and sauerkraut, and a bunch of yeast drinks, including mead, cider, beer, ginger beer and fruity soda water.
Jar and sensor containing fermented food and beveragebe joinedCarbon dioxide bubbles are constantly produced during fermentation. These bubbles are like one by oneBeat the rhythmThe small drums are converted into electrical signals by sensors and then converted by software.Music sounds with different timbres.
Joshua wants people to perceive the existence of microbial life,Microorganisms are everywhere.Microorganisms in our bodiesmore thanThe total number of our cells may even be in some way that we can’t fully understand.Control our thoughts and feelings..
The creator carefully selected each fermented food.Different musical instrumentsYeast and bacteria are responsible."playing"Macro and micro are connected by music, which is really a cross-border between human beings and bacteria."duet", tooA piece of music in which science and art share the same spectrum.
Fermentophone (source: youtube)
Freeze time, fermented microorganisms,thick and heavy colours—describe at length, exuding the splendor of life.
Miso under the microscope, source: SANDOR ELLIX KATZ
Yeast under the microscope, source: SANDOR ELLIX KATZ
Bean paste (fermented with Sichuan broad bean and pepper), source: SANDOR ELLIX KATZ.
Goat milk cheese, source: SANDOR ELLIX KATZ
Bayley Hazen blue cheese, source: SANDOR ELLIX KATZ.
Cheddar cheese crust on cloth, source: SANDOR ELLIX KATZ.
Biotechnology refers to usingContains animals, plants and microorganisms.Cell organisms, to produce useful substances, improve the characteristics of organisms, in order to reduce costs andinnovateScience and technology of species. And fermentation is considered as biotechnology.First time useIt shows us that, although for us, microorganismsNot visible to the naked eyeBut their strength is never weaker than ours.
The charm of fermentation is infinite, and itcreateThe history of mankind,buildThe relationship between people, as the American food writer Sandor Katz said,"It wasn’t people who invented fermentation, but fermentation invented people."
Fermentation is based on science,get rid ofYes, fromincognizableTheology and conjecture. People began to accept for the first time.New world viewThat is, they are sharing the environment with many tiny creatures that have a lasting impact on human life.
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Source: as Science and Art Research Center
Editor: Tibetan idiot
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