The Culture Whisper guide to friendly bacteria
You might have noticed something a little lively raising its head in the food industry recently. Fermented foods, and so-called 'good bacteria' are all the rage. Recent studies have linked a healthy gut with anything and everything, from perfect skin and leaner figure, to a good night’s sleep.
A particular concern is that the modern Western diet has led to much less diversity in our gut bacteria, which could be negatively affecting our wellbeing, as well as our waistlines. So people are looking to fermented foods and other ‘probiotics’, full of friendly bacteria, to top up the good guys in their gut. Marylebone restaurant High Mood Food has even made them its USP.
Most interestingly, there’s a school of thought that a happy tummy also leads to a happy mind.
But what are these wonder foods, and where can you find them in the capital?
Kombucha really does divide opinion. Long a favourite of the yogi crowd, and a regular fixture on menus in hip holiday destinations like Ubud, it’s now taking the capital by storm. It’s a type of fermented tea, made using a ‘scoby’ culture which feeds on the sugar added to the solution and produces a slightly fizzy and mild sweat concoction. Some love it, some think it tastes like vinegar. It can be made more palatable with flavourings such as ginger, and can even be produced using caffeine free teas like rooibos.
Where to try it: JARR Kombucha is stocked in trendy eateries all over London, and they now have their very own ‘booch’ bar in Hackney Wick.