Comments on: Forays in fermentation

By: Luigi

Luigi — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:46:53 +0000

Desh Subba made the following comment on the Facebook version of this post:

‘Jnard’ sounds similar to Nepali ‘Jand’ . All processing steps look similar to me between these two. The only difference I see is the use of crushed or uncrushed millet grain. Whole grain is used in Nepali ‘Jand’ instead crushed ones in Indian ‘Jnard’ . I wonder where in India ‘Jnard’ is made using ground millet. As far as I know, Rai/Limbu and Sherpa communities in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim states use finger millet in Nepali way. If the millet is ground and cooked this way but without application of ‘Murcha’ will probably make ‘Dhindo’ another local food type.

By: Raymond Sognon VODOUHE

Raymond Sognon VODOUHE — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:14:56 +0000

Pablo is right when he says that many species in West and Central Africa are noteworthy for their use as fermented staple foods. Genetic diversity plays important role in this as not all varieties give good quality products. Unfortunately some old varieties known for their high value in fermentation are disappearing for their limited yield potential. They are being replaced with high yielding but poor quality modern varieties. Studies also revealed that cropping practices (type and quantity of fertilizer, chemicals used etc.) may impact on the quality of products.

By: Luigi

Luigi — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:12:37 +0000

Thanks, Pablo. A lot of (fermented) food for thought there! Coincidentally, I saw this article today on other sorts of fermented products.

By: Pablo Eyzaguirre

Pablo Eyzaguirre — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:16:17 +0000

I am glad that you’ve focused our attention on the role of fermentation in foods. Many studies of agrobiodiversity and food use tend to ignore the added nutritional value of fermented foods (and it is not just fermentation for achieving an altered state of consciousness). West African maize and manioc (cassava), gourd and tree seeds are noteworthy for their use as fermented staple foods ‘ablo’, ‘toh’, ‘atcheke’, ‘inu’, ‘ogiri’. I confess that I am salivating as I write the names of these tasty foods. Also noteworthy is the fact that not all varieties ferment equally well and in the same way; some turn to sugars and become alcoholic rather quickly and others ferment slowly enough to release more proteins and nutrients or combine better with other food components. A large body of genetic diversity data tends to confirm that the quality and structure of starch molecules in crop varieties is largely determined by the genetic identity of the variety. Prof. Sado Sakamoto of Kyoto U. was a pioneer in the study of edible starch quality and genetic diversity and laid the groundwork for further genetic and ethnobotanical studies on this topic.

My dear friends and nutritionist colleagues Drs. Ifeyironwa Francisca Smith (Bioversity Int. expert on West African foods) and Barbara Burlingame at FAO (editor of the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis) are making big contributions by linking crop varietal diversity to food preparation and nutrient content. IF Smith is onto something very important in looking at use of small but rich components from biodiversity in sauces and thickeners like egussi, cassia etc.).

Professor Tim Johns of McGill and Bioversity wrote a fascinating review paper “The Chemical Ecology of Human Ingestive Behaviors.” Johns describes the domestication process in light of biochemistry of human consumtion. To make something taste good and provide necessary nutrients, one can select and shape plant genetic diversity through domestication and improvement or through processing. I think this line of enquiry is important for maintaining crop diversity and our ability to continue using it in a myriad of ways.

Endnotes:
1. Timothy Johns, School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Macdonald Campus, McGill University (1999) “The Chemical Ecology of Human Ingestive Behaviors.” Annual Review of Anthropology 28:27-50.
2. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (www.elsevier.com/locate/jfca)
3. I.F. Smith (1998) Foods of West Africa: Their Origin and Use. IDRC