Culinary Botany: Fermentation

Fermentation is one of the oldest and most transformative forces in human food history. It is also, if you look closely enough, one of the most fascinating intersections of biology, geography, and flavor that exists on your dinner table.

In this installment of our Culinary Botany series we are diving deep into the science and story behind fermentation, with a focus on two of its most beloved results: wine and beer. How did ancient civilizations stumble onto fermentation? Why do the world's great wine regions sit where they do? What does yeast actually do, and what happens when you don't have any? Why does Beaujolais Nouveau ferment differently than almost every other wine you've ever tasted?

We'll explore the biogeography of wine, the history of beer from the Fertile Crescent to your local brewery, the role of malting in turning starch into sugar, and the endlessly creative additions that brewers and winemakers have used throughout history to coax flavor out of humble ingredients.

And because the best way to understand fermentation is to taste it, this class will be a hands-on sensory experience. You'll smell and taste different varieties of malt and hops and sample wines that illustrate the concepts being discussed, getting a firsthand feel for how fermentation transforms raw ingredients into something extraordinary.

This is the final Culinary Botany event of the year, and we'd love to send the series off in style. Come join us for one last evening of food science, good conversation, and great tasting notes.