For at least the last five years lacto-fermentation seems to be on all the ‘new food trends’ lists that inevitably emerge around the new year. However, these techniques have been mainstays of cuisines around the world for many centuries, both preserving seasonal ingredients and adding layers of flavour.

We use lacto-fermentation regularly, with many fruit, vegetable and pulse preparations adding depth and accent to sauces, rubs and condiments. 

This type of fermentation involves cultivating different types of lactobacillus microbes (think of those annoying yoghurt commercials) that occur naturally on the food. In order to encourage these ‘good’ bacteria we add salt and ferment anaerobically (we typically do this in vac pack bags to ensure there is no oxygen in contact with the ferment). 

Initially the most apparent result is the savoury character enhanced by the added salt and the lactic acid produced by the bacteria. 

Both of these characteristics are of course important in enhancing flavour, but perhaps more interesting are the secondary products from the acid, salt and enzymatic actions. Proteins are broken down into smaller compounds including glutamates, adding intense umami. A pleasant funk is a delicious by-product that often has flavours reminiscent of salumi

Volatile aromatic compounds are also broken up by enzymatic fermentation. This has a definite positive effect on raw spices and garlic adding complexity and softening unpalatable flavours. 

All this brings us to hot sauce. It seemed an area ripe for experimentation for us. We love to heighten flavours with acidity and umami as well as playing with a healthy array of spices. 

I wanted to have a go with some concepts I had been thinking about that would suit our style of food. We have used cultured tomatoes before. The fermentation of which gives a complex cooked tomato sauce flavour, while retaining the freshness of the raw vegetable. I thought I would build on this base to create a mole inspired hot sauce. I added spices, dried Mexican chillis (Mulatto and Guajillo) as well as raw cocoa nibs.

We have had Kvas, a traditional fermented beetroot preparation from Eastern Europe, on the menu in a number of twisted guises before. We enjoy pairing its earthy complexity, tempered by natural sweetness, with pigeon and duck. I used this as a jumping off point for a hot sauce, adding geographically correct flavours of dill, caraway and garlic.

I had some lovely rhubarb that I also wanted to use. It’s a great, typically British fruit, that I wanted to enhance within some flavours from the Lavant. It’s aromatic quality suits pink pepper, rose petals and the fruity Aleppo chili. To temper it’s high acidity I added some raw honey.

Deonejang is a korean soybean paste similar to miso, which we use in our dishes on a regular basis. Rather than the fermentation being facilitated by a fungus, as it is in miso, doenjang relies purely on lactobacillus. To this umami rich mix I added Asian pear, grassy jalapenos, kombu seaweed and mustard seeds. I am anticipating that this will need a long ferment to break down the bitterness of the mustard.

These sauces need time to mature, I will taste them every three weeks. Keep an eye out for these flavours in our dishes. Or even as bottled sauces, will all those flavours work? what will we create? time will tell, watch this space!