Latest news with #fermentation
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Ten things you need to know about wine
Wine is made by fermenting freshly gathered grapes. It can be red, white, rosé, sparkling or fortified. There are no rights and wrongs. Nobody insists that you like carrots; it's the same with wine. You like what you like . Price is not always an indicator of quality. But if you spend €10-€20 on a bottle, it will probably taste a lot better. Good glasses make a difference. Large tulip-shaped glasses make wine taste better. Temperature matters. Serve a white wine too cold and you lose flavour (about 10 degrees is good). Warm red wine can seem soupy and alcoholic (aim for 18 degrees, cooler than most house temperatures). Learning about wine should be fun and not feel like an exam. Work out what you like and what you don't, and take it from there. Start by trying wines made from the most popular grape varieties and the best-known wine regions. That will give you a good idea of what you like and what you don't. Taking a few notes is a good idea. Matching food and wine can make both taste better, but don't get hung up about it. Not all wine improves with age. Most wine is ready to drink the day you buy it. Wines with screw caps are not inferior. Sometimes they are better than wines with corks.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The strange 'stinkbird' born with clawed wings that appears to be an evolutionary 'orphan'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Name: Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) Where it lives: Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America What it eats: Leaves, fruits and flowers Why it's awesome: The hoatzin is often regarded as one of the world's strangest birds. Hatchlings are born with clawed wings — a rare, prehistoric trait — and adults give off a strong, unpleasant smell due to their cow-like, fermenting digestive system, earning them the nickname "stinkbird." Hoatzin have some pretty weird traits, with mohican crests, blue facial skin, red eyes and large, fan-shaped tails, which they used to maintain balance while navigating dense vegetation. But these tropical birds are most notable for their pungent odor, which is commonly compared to manure or rotting vegetation. This unpleasant smell is the result of a highly unusual digestive process that sets them apart from almost every other bird species. Unlike most birds, the hoatzin has a foregut fermentation system, similar to the one found in cows. It primarily feeds on leaves, which it stores and ferments in a large, chambered crop — a temporary food storage pouch located in the esophagus. Then, the food is passed to the stomach for fermentation, where bacteria break down the tough plant material, releasing gases via burps that produce the bird's distinctive manure-like odor. This digestive process is highly efficient for breaking down the high levels of cellulose found in leaves. But, it makes the hoatzin both smelly and clumsy, as its enlarged gut makes it difficult to fly. However, the hoatzin's unusual smell acts as a natural defence mechanism, as predators tend to avoid the bird because they think it is rotten or poisonous. Researchers are uncertain about the evolution of hoatzins. In 2015, a genetic study in the journal Nature suggested that the hoatzin is the last surviving member of a bird line that branched off the evolutionary tree in its own direction 64 million years ago, shortly after the extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. Related stories —Aldabra rail: The bird that came back from the dead by evolving twice —Shoebill: The human-sized African bird that eats baby crocodiles and kills its siblings —Eleonora's falcon: The raptor that imprisons birds live by stripping their feathers and stuffing them in rocks However, a separate 2024 study in PNAS suggested that hoatzins are not as ancient as previously thought. Although the wing claws of juveniles seem prehistoric, they may have evolved more recently to help these birds survive in the Amazon jungle. As young hoatzins can't fly, their claws allow them to climb trees to escape predators. In 2024, biologists analyzed and mapped the genomes of more than 360 bird species to create a family tree of major bird groups, but where hoatzin fit into the picture is unclear. The researchers added hoatzins to a category called "orphans" along with shorebirds and cranes — because it's unclear where hoatzins sit within the avian family tree. This bird is also the national bird of Guyana, where the local name for this bird is Canje pheasant.
CNA
09-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
How Ken Koh revived his ailing family business in Singapore to produce the ‘Rolls-Royce' of soya sauce
Entrepreneurs have been known to trumpet bold claims, and third-generation soya sauce maker Ken Koh of Nanyang Sauce is no exception. He professes to sit on the 'vat of youth,' frothing gently with soya beans that are fermented the traditional way, laced with koji mould. The latter, he posited, contains properties that may reverse ageing and — if you'll suspend your disbelief — possibly kill cancer cells. Never mind that such assertions may bear whiffs of snake oil sales spiel; Koh has skin in the game. He's stumped up resources to launch a fermented skincare line, as well as a new age pharmaceutical firm that inked a research collaboration agreement with National Cancer Centre Singapore to explore the cancer therapeutic potential of mycobiota fermentation. While the 41-year-old demurs on the scientific details, he says ongoing research is promising, prompting a recent trip to Dubai to bankroll his venture. Admittedly, it may seem out of left field. 'Never in a gazillion years would I have imagined that I'd move in this direction,' he mused. 'I wanted to tell the world about Nanyang Sauce and sell as much sauce as I could, to turn our family business around and keep it going for the next generation,' said the entrepreneur, who began to delve into the beauty and wellness space after being approached by an A*STAR researcher requesting to study the properties of his soya beans. Two years ago, he launched wellness-inspired private dining company Nanyang Chef, which features dishes starring ingredients sourced from Bhutan and Borneo. While he credits those pursuits with the pithy slogan, 'the secret is in the sauce,' there was a time where Nanyang Sauce's branding was more soya than sizzle. A LEGACY ON THE BRINK By the time Koh joined his family business — hitherto run by his mother and uncles — they were beset by debt and circling the proverbial drain. He traces the company's decline to 1996, when his grandfather and Nanyang Sauce's founder, Tan Tiong How, passed away at the age of 70 after suffering a heart attack. 'He was working so hard, always the first in the factory and the last to leave,' he said. 'He did not plan for succession, as it was considered inauspicious. That's why I wrote my will in my 20s.' In a way, the family's fortune has waxed and waned with Singapore's shifting tides. Tan, who came from a line of soya sauce makers from China's Fujian Province, fled the Sino-Japanese war for Singapore in 1942 — carrying a jar of koji and the desire to claw out a better future. He eked out a hardscrabble existence as a coolie and brewed his own soya sauce to flavour his meagre porridge meals. Friends developed a taste for Tan's umami-rich brews, so he eventually began peddling it out of a tricycle. This bare-bones outfit built on elbow grease creaked and clattered its way into a kampung factory in 1959. While they relocated several times over the decades, the family has hewed to their painstaking method of fermenting hand-brewed soya sauce under the sun for months, stubbornly eschewing mass-market machine production at their own mounting costs. This was before the term 'artisanal' was flashed like a badge of honour by chefs and soap-makers alike. 'People are now starting to appreciate old school, real food again, but the 1990s and early 2000s were all about cheaper, processed food and air-conditioned hypermarkets like Carrefour,' recounted Koh. The patriarch's sudden passing during that super-sized milieu marked a nadir for the business. 'He was the one making the deals with the zha huo dian (sundry shops) and minimarts, and people respected him. When he left, there was really no one to fill his shoes,' recalled Koh. He witnessed his family suffer the financial repercussions of its low-key, handshake economy approach, which ultimately precluded their products from supermarket shelves. 'I grew up feeling like it was all so such a pity. When my grandfather was running the business, we could afford to give away gold pendants in lucky draws and all this stopped because there was no clear succession plan,' he reflected. THE GRANDSON WHO WOULDN'T QUIT As a child, Koh played hide-and-seek among clay kilns steeped in the earthy aroma of fermenting soya sauce. He was something of a right-hand man for his grandfather, who entrusted him with counting spare change and tracking stock prices on the flickering Teletex screen. 'He would say, 'Call me if the numbers turn green. If they go white, which means losses, call me faster,'' he recounted. That was Koh's introduction to entrepreneurship. By the age of 11, he was a young fly on the wall at board meetings — and one such conclave remains etched in his memory. A group of consultants had proposed a quicker, cheaper way to produce commercial soya sauce using chemicals. Visibly rankled, the formidable founder rose from his seat and pointed at his wide-eyed grandson. 'He shouted in Hokkien, 'If I don't dare to feed this to my grandson, how can I feed the rest of Singapore?',' he recalled. The episode endured as a lesson in conviction and authenticity. 'He was not willing to shortchange his customers and stuck to those values,' said Koh. Those anecdotes imply that he was, for all intents and purposes, groomed to succeed his grandfather — so why till his 30s to claim the mantle? According to Koh, his mother and uncles emphatically discouraged him from joining the business, out of good intentions. 'No parent wants their child to walk the hard path,' he reasoned. Yet, family members cannot deny that echoes of Nanyang Sauce's headstrong founder resonate in Koh. As an 18-year-old buzzing with moxy, he shrugged off failure after unsuccessfully pitching for funding at a Singapore Management University business plan competition, and bootstrapped his corporate training company with just S$2,000. The cock-sure youth secured his first contract within a year, and built a venture that continues to thrive to this day. 'Before other people believe in you, you must first believe in yourself,' declared Koh, who lent that training as a dragon boater helped mould his self-confidence. In 2017, he channelled that obdurate spirit into a bold proposition for his elders: Let him staunch the bleeding of their beleaguered business. He'd start by hiking the price of a bottle of soy sauce to S$10. This was one leap too far for his incredulous predecessors. 'Their jaws dropped. 'Kikkoman sells a bottle of their soya sauce for S$6, what makes you think you can do that?',' he recounted. But this wasn't the flight of fancy dreamt up by a greenhorn. He'd visited enough soya sauce factories across the region to know that they were singular in brewing their soya sauce the 'traditional, kung-fu way'— instead of boosting production through chemical hydrolysation. Pricing it at market rate was no longer sustainable. To allay his uncle's and mother's fears that he'd make a muck of their decades-old business, he set up a separate entity — one that sold their surplus, aged soya sauce. 'I named it Nanyang Sauce, as they were using the Golden Swan label. Not all of our forefathers were literate, so many brands used logos of animals that could be easily recognised,' he explained. But that was just the tip of his branding overhaul. Koh then leased a clapped out old shophouse at East Coast Road and transformed it into an experiential space where customers discovered his products through workshops and savoured his soya sauce chicken. Slowly, he cultivated a loyal following of chefs and food connoisseurs with a penchant for the sauce's richly flavoured, moreish notes. The momentum eventually landed his products on the shelves of FairPrice Finest and Cold Storage. Besides those premium supermarkets, Nanyang Sauce products are now also sold on Redmart, Shopee, as well as overseas in Indonesia and Malaysia. Along the way, the separate businesses merged, but not without friction between him and the second-generation. 'We are in a harmonious situation now, but it wasn't always this way,' he shared. 'I changed a lot of things they weren't used to. For instance, we never had an automated invoicing system, and relied on hand-written invoices that simply stated Ah Tan or Ah Chai,' he said ruefully. FULL STEAM AHEAD Having propelled the business into the digital age, Koh revealed that every drop of soya sauce they produce is spoken for, with the brewery now running at full tilt. It bears testament to his marketing savvy in distilling a fine brew from what was once a fusty old outfit. At the same time, his mother's tireless dedication to the craft of soya sauce brewing was vindicated when she was conferred the Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage award by the National Heritage Board in 2021. But success, as they know, is a perishable brew. While their lease is up for renewal this year, they're all teed up to open a production facility in Bhutan, where they source organic, non-GMO soya beans and pristine glacial water for their bespoke vats. Priced at an eye-watering S$10,000 each, these are in high demand, according to Koh. The remote Himalayan kingdom holds a special place in his heart. For one, he's convinced that people there — who are the 'nicest, gentlest and happiest you can find'— are naturally inclined to brew soya sauce par excellence, thanks to the positive energy they radiate. He dubs it 'the Rolls-Royce of soy sauce' — a nod to his 1984 Silver Spirit, which he regards less as an accoutrement of success and more as a sentimental treasure. 'I want to build Nanyang Sauce like how they build a Rolls-Royce, from their dedication to handicraft, to the materials they use,' he concluded.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Beets, peaches, okra and watermelon: 11 fruits and vegetables you should be pickling (besides cucumbers)
The first person to soak the humble cucumber in some vinegar couldn't in their wildest dreams have predicted the Picklewich, pickle ice cream or pickle Bloody Marys, but here we are. Pickles aren't just trendy; salt content aside, they're also pretty good for you. And — as grocery costs rise and shoppers look for more ways to extend the shelf life of their food — pickling not just cukes but also other produce might be one of the most practical things you can do in the kitchen. The question is ... how should you get started? What exactly should you be pickling? And what's the best way to enjoy your pickled fruit and veg? Here's what experts say. The first thing you need to understand is that there are two ways to pickle foods: quick pickling (involving a brine that typically features vinegar, salt and sugar) and fermentation. While both preparations offer some health benefits, fermented foods in particular are associated with good gut health and reduced inflammation. 'Fermented pickles use a heavily salted brine that supports a healthy gut because it's filled with both probiotics and prebiotics,' says Erika Dudley, president of the board of directors for Urban Growers Collective. 'The more we learn about our guts, the more we've seen the added health benefits to our immune system, metabolism and even mental health.' Some naturally fermented foods rich in probiotics — live microorganisms that restore the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut — include kimchi and sauerkraut, while pickled onions, artichokes and leeks are a source of prebiotics, or fiber that nourishes healthy gut bacteria. But don't sleep on quick-pickled foods. Sarah Bond, a food scientist, nutritionist and recipe developer at Live Eat Learn, tells Yahoo Life that even non-fermented quick pickles can offer "potential blood sugar support thanks to the acetic acid in vinegar, which may help slow glucose absorption." Pickling also helps seasonal produce last longer, reduces food waste and makes it easier to get more fruits and vegetables — and the nutrients contained within — in your diet. A lot of it comes down to personal preference, but here's what our experts love pickling most: The benefits: Vitamins A, K1 and B6; lutein for eye health; fiber; potassium; contain antioxidants including beta carotene Pickling pro tip: America's Test Kitchen recommends refrigerating pickled carrots up to three weeks; any longer and the flavoring can become "funky" Try it: As a garnish for curried deviled eggs The benefits: Radishes — which run the gamut from daikon to watermelon varieties — are low-calorie and high in vitamin C, per Healthline Pickling pro tip: Don't overlook radish greens, which deliver a peppery kick to salads, pasta dishes, quiche and more Try it: Pickled radishes can add color and crunch to a noodle or rice bowl; you might also layer some on your avocado toast The benefits: Did you know okra has protein? It's also a good source of fiber, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, C, K and B6 Pickling pro tip: Think okra is too slimy? The Takeout suggests choosing shorter okra pods, which have less mucilage, and patting them dry before adding them to your pickling jar Try it: Southern Living's pimiento cheese-stuffed pickled okra has our mouths watering The benefits: Beets are high in folate, manganese and copper; may help keep blood pressure in check; and are associated with improved athletic performance Pickling pro tip: TastingTable suggests using golden beets if you're wary of turning your countertops pink Try it: Got last-minute company? Spread goat cheese on toasted sourdough, top with pickled beets from your stash and you've got a fancy (but low-fuss) hors d'oeuvre The benefits: Asparagus is packed with antioxidants and is a great source of fiber and folate Pickling pro tip: Your spears should face up, per Chowhound, which also recommends using any remaining pickling liquid to give vegetable soup a tangy twist Try it: Add chopped asparagus to your fave salad or creamy pasta, or take the Pioneer Woman's suggestion and stick a pickled spear in your Bloody Mary The benefits: Onions are rich in vitamin C, folate and other important nutrients and are considered beneficial for heart health, bone density and more Pickling pro tip: Per Chowhound, you should slice your onions very thinly and add them to a hot brine on the stovetop for a super-quick pickle Try it: Bored with your go-to coleslaw recipe? TastingTable says adding pickled red onions can be "transformative" The benefits: Garlic contains vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese, and research supports claims that it may benefit your immune system, cholesterol levels and more Pickling pro tip: According to Daily Meal, pickled garlic can last up to four months in the fridge Try it: Want some heat? TikToker Lala is credited with kickstarting the spicy pickled garlic trend, in which the brine is drained from the jar and sriracha and chili flakes are mixed in with the garlic for a powerful punch The benefits: In addition to being vitamin packed, green tomatoes feature polyphenols, a type of antioxidant Pickling pro tip: Want to pickle like an Italian? TastingTable says it's all about layering your tomatoes and salt like a lasagna Try it: Pickling your green tomatoes before frying them can make your fried green tomato sandwich extra tangy (and beats a basic BLT any day) The benefits: Plums are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, and are a solid source of vitamin C Pickling pro tip: Mashed suggests adding cinnamon, cloves or star anise to your brine Try it: Serve your pickled plums with pork or duck. The benefits: In addition to being hydrating, watermelon has lots of vitamin C and antioxidants (including lycopene) that may reduce your risk of cancer and improve your cardiovascular health Pickling pro tip: Don't forget the rind! As the Takeout notes, pickled rind can liven up a charcuterie board, be added to salads or go in a slaw (like the one topping Food & Wine's chicken lettuce wraps) Try it: Daily Meal's pickled watermelon salad features arugula, feta and chopped walnuts — yum! The benefits: Vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, potassium, good-for-you antioxidants ... the list goes on Pickling pro tip: According to the pros at TastingTable, it's OK to not peel your peaches first Try it: Country Living's grilled pork topped with pickled peaches is hard to resist. For dessert, skip the sprinkles and top your vanilla ice cream with any leftover fruit Once you've decided on what you want to pickle, you need to choose how you want to pickle it: A quick pickle or more time-intensive canning process? According to Jorge Azevedo, CEO of Fermented Food Holdings, the former is "the most beginner-friendly" option. "All you need is to make the vinegar-based brine, season to taste and fill [your] jar with it,' he tells Yahoo Life. He recommends using wide-mouth Mason jars, available at most grocery stores; these should preferably be sterilized with boiling water prior to use. Bond also says to make sure you have labels on hand so you can write down what you've got and when you made it. She offers this quick-and-easy formula for quick pickling (no canning required): Pack clean jars with sliced produce Heat a mixture of vinegar (depending on your preference), water, salt and sugar until dissolved Pour the brine over the produce, making sure everything is submerged Cool to room temp, then refrigerate The pickled produce will be tasty within a few hours, but it's best after one to two days Shelf life can vary according to recipe, so be sure to keep track of how long your pickled fruit or vegetables have been going (which is where those labels come in handy) And take timing into consideration. 'For best results, aim to pickle the veggies when they are at their peak — typically during the summer months when spring and summer harvests are at their freshest,' says Azevedo. Bond recommends pickling cucumbers, berries and peaches in the spring and summer months, and beets, carrots and radishes in the fall and winter. You can also look up when your preferred produce is in season and pickle accordingly. When it comes to vinegar, Bond — who has pickling guidance on her website — prefers "rice vinegar for something mild, or apple cider vinegar for a fruity twist." But feel free to experiment with different recipes; you might prefer a white or red vinegar. And don't forget spices, which can add complexity to your pickled produce. 'Some of the most common spices to add to your pickles are dill, whole black peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, allspice berries, red chili flakes, bay leaves, granulated garlic, whole garlic and grape leaves,' says Azevedo. Dudley is a big fan of mixing things up. 'One of my favorites is pickled peaches done two ways: traditional Southern style with cloves and cinnamon, and then a modern twist with tarragon and scented geraniums,' she says. She also loves cha cha (aka chow chow), a relish made from pickled cabbage, peppers, onions and carrots. Dudley's other favorite combinations include: Okra with cardamom, cumin and mustard seeds (for Indian flavors) Watermelon with ginger, lemon, star anise and cinnamon Green tomatoes with dill and lemon verbena Zucchini with cilantro and garlic
