Kako napraviti fermentisanu kašu ENG

There are many ways to make hot sauce, and as you can tell by our Hot Sauce Recipes
section of the web site, I’ve made a lot of them. However, one way we have yet to
explore is making them with fermented chili peppers.

If you’ve ever enjoyed Tabasco sauce, you’ve tasted fermented chili peppers. Tabasco
starts with tabasco peppers which they crush, mix with salt, and ferment in oak barrels for
up to 3 years. The original Tabasco sauce only uses 3 ingredients – tabasco peppers, salt,
and distilled vinegar.

A number of hot sauce makers use fermented peppers in the form of pepper mash to
make their products, and a good pepper mash makes a difference in the resulting flavors.
If you’re interested in making sauces from pepper mash, good news. It’s easy to make at
home and you don’t need to wait 3 years for it to be ready.

But first…

WHAT IS FERMENTED PEPPER MASH?

Pepper mash is a collection of chili peppers that have been mashed together with salt then
aged until they break down chemically. Fermentation is one our oldest methods of food
preservation. Humans have preserved many foods this way, from cheeses to wine to a
slew of other vegetables.

Fermentation, basically, is the decomposition of foods by micro-organisms (Lactic Acid

Bacteria) or enzymes. We create an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment for the peppers
so the natural Lactic Acid Bacteria can thrive, and other undesirable bacteria cannot.

Bad bacteria, such as rotting molds, cannot survive in an anaerobic environment, which
we create with salt and brine, therefore protecting the peppers while the good bacteria do
their work. The salt is not actually the preservative. It is the acid produced by the
fermentation process that does the preserving.

Lactic acid bacteria consumes carbohydrates in the peppers and converts them to acid.
After fermenting, the carbohydrates have been predigested, leaving them with more
vitamins and flavor than fresh peppers.

It is akin to a controlled decay process, and there are numerous benefits to fermentation,
including more digestible foods and more desirable flavors. With peppers, you’ll notice a
mellowing of flavors, changes in color, and in the pleasant smell of the resulting mash.

HOW SAFE IS FERMENTING PEPPERS?

Fermenting peppers is very safe! Before I began my exploration into fermentation, I succumbed to the
common misconception that fermenting could easily lead to rotten or even dangerous foods, but in
truth, fermentation is very simple and hard to mess up.

The key is to ferment properly. You’ll know if you’ve made a mistake by the smell of a ferment. It will
smell “off” or “rotten”.

The fact is, we’re fermenting in a controlled environment, so just be sure to follow the proper
procedures.

MAKING BASIC PEPPER MASH

You can make fermented pepper mash from any type of chili pepper, even dried peppers. Your only
consideration is the thickness of the pepper walls. Thicker walled peppers may need to be strained
after the fermentation period, to remove the coarser skin, so you don’t need to seed them if you don’t
want to.

Thinner walled peppers won’t need straining, so you may want to seed them first if you prefer a
smoother result when you process the mash later on.

To make pepper mash, first process your fresh peppers in a food processor. If you don’t have a
processor, use a mortar and pestle or simply finely chop them.

Next, mix in salt. You should use 1 teaspoon salt (5.69 g) per pound (.45 kg) of peppers. 1 pound of
peppers should process down to about 1 cup (220 g, or 7.75 ounces) of mash. So, use 1 teaspoon of salt
per cup of mash, which is roughly 2.3% salt by weight.

The peppers will begin to release their moisture right away. A note about salt: most salts are fine to use,
but avoid using salts with additives, such as table salt.

Place your mash into a jar and press it down to remove any air pockets. Leave at least 1 inch (2.54 cm)
of headspace. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting. The brine will rise up and cover the
peppers. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.

Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal
temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F (12.78-23.89 C). The most active fermentation period is
between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid
a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting.
See below for what I like to use.

After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish. Move it to a pantry where you can let it ferment
longer if you’d like, or use it right away.You can ferment for months or even longer to allow the flavors
to more fully develop.

Once it is ready, store it in the refrigerator where it will last for a year or longer