The World’s Fermentation Hotspot Isn’t Where You Think
We spoke to the scientists documenting what subcontinental kitchens have known for centuries, from panta bhat to chaas.
When Utkarsh Dubey’s grandmother makes kanji — a fermented probiotic drink popular in Punjab — she carefully dices black carrots and beets and submerges them in a massive earthen pot with mustard powder, black salt, and red chili powder. Then, she puts the mixture outside and lets the winter sun work its magic. “She used to taste it every day,” Dubey recalled. “Within two days, it just gets a tangy sourness.” After four days, she would have a deep red concoction prized for its healing benefits, like aiding digestion. Dubey was so fascinated with the process that he became a chef specializing in fermentation.
Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors started creating many foods and drinks that used the magical process of fermentation — when microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, or molds break down sugars and starches into alcohols, acids, or gases. Health experts tout fermented products like kimchi or kombucha, but often overlook the Indian subcontinent as one of the world’s largest fermentation hotspots, featuring everything from panta bhat in Bengal and kanji in Punjab to ngari in Manipur and dosa from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Juggernaut spoke to scientists, chefs, and historians to understand just how important the subcontinent’s rich history of culinary fermentation is to our health, and what we lose if we forget why we cooked this way in the first place.