Fermentation Cast

Tessa van der Geer and Ivana Mik
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  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

This podcast will alleviate your fears of microbes! We will tell you more about fermentation by combining science and practice in a bi-weekly episode introducing a new fermented product. We will build your knowledge from the very basics all the way to futuristic fermentations.

  1. 20/12/2025

    #19 the future of fermented foods

    This is the first episode of four covering Ivana's visit to the International Conference on Fermented Foods in Bolzano, where four interviews took place with fermentation SUPER specialists. The first conversation is with Emanuele Zannini. He is both a professor in food science at University La Sapienza in Rome and a research professor at UCC University College in Cork, Ireland. Emanuele Zannini talks about how we can use A.I. to create the foods of tomorrow using traditional fermentation, how fermentation allows him to interact with the intelligence of microbes and reveals his favourite sidestream (cause who doesn't have one?).

    31 min

  2. 05/12/2025

    #18 Beetroot special

    Welcome to the first episode of season 2 of the Fermentation Cast! This season, we build on our knowledge obtained in the first season. We step away from the fermentation tree and invite guests from all over the world to talk about how théy ferment. They give us tips and tricks that you can apply directly into practise. This episode is a special one and evolves entirely around beetroots. Ivana became an ambassador of this sturdy vegetable together with a group of other food professionals. We call ourselves the "Bietenclub", the Beetroot Club. We put this vegetable in the spotlight at the start of winter and hopefully in time for you to put some fermented beetroots on your Christmas table. Time to see if you remember about all the different types fermentations!

    30 min

  3. 16/05/2025

    #17 David Zilber

    If you are a fermenter, you probably own a copy of the Noma Guide to Fermentation. For our season finale Ivana drove over to Copenhagen for a one hour interview with the writer of this book and thé O.G. master of fermentation David Zilber. In his funky fermentation lab where he works on innovative applications of microbes for Novonesis, they speak about their brief shared history at Noma, his life as a food scientist now and they reflect on the first season of the fermentation cast combining his personal anecdotes with our fermentation tree. Stay tuned till the end to discover how you too can became a true fermentation fairy.

    58 min

  4. 02/05/2025

    # 16 vanilla

    Did you actually know vanilla is fermented? And not by a very common microbe! It is Bacillus that gives that oomph, making vanilla one of the most popular flavours in the world. In this episode we dive deeper into how vanilla is produced and what role Bacillus plays in that production. We introduce the last category of the fermentation tree and hope to spark your enthusiasm for this funky friend.

    25 min

  5. 18/04/2025

    #15 tempeh

    Tempeh is a fermented food from Indonesia that consists of soy beans grown together by the mold Rhizopus oligosporus. That in itself is a delicious food, but there are many more applications that can be made using this fungus. In our transition to a more plant-based world, it makes sense to first explore what we already have on hands. Listen to this episode and learn how to tame this fluffy friend.

    37 min

  6. 04/04/2025

    #14 future ferments at Expo West

    Ivana visited Expo West in Los Angeles to explore the alternative protein market. There, she found multiple companies that use fermentation to save our future food supplies. This episode is a teaser for what we want to report on in a future season: a deep dive into the vast array of possibilities when it comes to fermentation. And... we dare you to try these fermentations at home ;-)

    21 min

  7. 21/03/2025

    #13 shoyu

    Shoyu - a delight that lifts every dish from mediocre to next level. How is it made, how can you make it from other ingredients than soy beans and can Dutchies make a Japanese-approved shoyu IN The Netherlands ? During this episode we unveil the secrets of soy sauce and visit Dutch soy sauce makers from Tomasu in Rotterdam - who have (believe it or not) fallen in love with this umami flavourmaker...

    46 min

  8. 07/03/2025

    #12 miso - special!

    This episode is a little different than our usual episodes. For our last edition of the Blub Club fermentation club in Amsterdam, we decided to record a live episode with our club members. We were joined by Saki Morita: a Japanese home fermenter that tells us all about the challenges and possibilities of making miso at home. Build on your koji knowledge from our previous episode and apply it in miso! How to make it, how to play with the flavour and also, how to cook with it.

    47 min
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About

This podcast will alleviate your fears of microbes! We will tell you more about fermentation by combining science and practice in a bi-weekly episode introducing a new fermented product. We will build your knowledge from the very basics all the way to futuristic fermentations.

Information

  • Creator
    Tessa van der Geer and Ivana Mik
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tessa van der Geer and Ivana Mik
  • Show Website
    Fermentation Cast

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