Ferment Radio is a podcast series that takes you deep into the fascinating world of microbes. Through fermentation and transformation, we develop new recipes for living on a broken planet.
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There’s a moment when it hits you. It happens after some time of gathering bits and pieces of knowledge, experiences, feelings, and observations. It might even come after asking yourself “what am I doing?” multiple times. But suddenly the pieces click and turn into a viewpoint that you want to share with others. Some people find this clarity in the form of a book. One of them is Johnny Drain, who…
More than a collection of fixed truths, science can be an ongoing narrative, one that continually reshapes how we understand bodies, identity, and life itself. In this episode, we explore how scientific ideas evolve, transform, and eventually become obsolete. This shifting nature of knowledge is at the core of our conversation with artist Kirsty Hendry. Through texts and moving images, Hendry’s…
If you send a mixture of soybeans and koji mold to outer space, will it ferment as miso, even so far away from home? How do you bring it back to Earth? How will it taste like? Can we still call it miso? This is the second part of our conversation with Joshua Evans, from the Sustainable Food Innovation at the Danish Technical University’s Center for Biosustainability. We had previously talked about…
There’s a phenomenon experienced by people who have seen the Earth from outer space. It is known as the “Overview Effect”: a new level of compassion and understanding of how fragile and interconnected life is. What could bring us closer to the Overview Effect without leaving Earth? How can we embody what is hard to grasp, relate to, and integrate into a conscious interconnectedness beyond…
When humans go to space, whether they like it or not, microbes tag along. And if microbes can live in microgravity—probably more comfortably than humans—then perhaps fermented food too. There have already been a few experiments to send fermented foods into orbit—like kimchi and wine. But there’s a difference between eating food that was fermented on Earth, and fermenting it in space. This is where…
Did you know your body is never truly sterile—even before you’re born? From semen and placenta to umbilical cord blood, your microbial journey begins early on. And it doesn’t stop there. The type of birth, nurturing, and how you explore the world as a child play a crucial role in shaping your unique microbiome. The introduction of solid foods, interactions with your environment, and social contact…
In this episode of the World in a Pickle, we delve into the world of pulque—a fermented drink made of agave sap, or “aguamiel”, which has been consumed in Mexico for centuries, and is now threatened by urbanization, climate change, and crime.Our guests, César Iván Linares, an ethnobiologist specialized in traditional fermented beverages, and Juan Escalona Meléndez, a chef and scientist behind…
The Guarani-Kaiowá are the people of Mato Grosso do Sul, a Central-West region of Brazil. It translates as “Thick Forest of the South", and as the name suggests, nature has protected the Guarani-Kaiowá and their culture from colonization. Particularly, the ancient tradition of chicha making—a sacred white corn drink that can also be fermented. The Guarani-Kaiowá believe that if they stop making…
When Russia started to claim ownership over the ever popular –and oftentimes fermented– soup known as Borscht, Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko knew he had to do something. He took up a knife, chopped up some beetroots, added a few more ingredients, and turned them into a soup. Then he traveled across Ukraine to find out where this dish comes from. If he could only confirm its origins, UNESCO…
Migrating birds, shipwreck survivors, extraterrestrial bodies, distant seeds washed ashore, outsiders in love, forgotten memories, and rare ingredients that become staple foods. This is Hiiumaa, an island in the Baltic Sea, 22 kilometers from mainland Estonia: a field laboratory to investigate “what is foreign”. In collaboration with plants, flavors, human voices, and insular soundscapes, we…
