Armidale will play host to a full day of fermentation science, food and celebration when the first-ever Fermentation Festival is held on Saturday, 19 September.
The event, a collaboration between UNE Nutrition, UNE Life, The Welders Dog, The Goldfish Bowl, Yin Yang Kombucha and Gal’s Kitchen Culture, will run from 9.30am at the University of New England before moving to The Welders Dog’s Big Dog venue for an evening celebration until 10pm.
Associate Professor Gal Winter, from UNE’s School of Science and Technology, said the idea for the festival came from The Welders Dog.
“I have to give credit for this amazing idea to the Welders Dog, which came up with the idea and they reached out to me,” Dr Winter said.
“Loved it from the moment I said it.”
Dr Winter, who teaches biomedical science and coordinates UNE’s Nutrition and Health Science course, said the timing lined up with the recent launch of the university’s nutrition program.
“We just recently this year opened a whole nutrition program,” she said.
The daytime program will feature hands-on masterclasses at the university campus, with local producers The Goldfish Bowl and Yin Yang Kombucha leading sessions in their areas of expertise, alongside UNE Nutrition staff teaching vegetable fermentation techniques such as kimchi and sauerkraut making.
Dr Winter said the festival was designed to cut through misinformation around gut health and fermented foods.
“There’s so much misinformation out there. So it’s really good to give people the accurate science behind fermentation and how to use it and demystify it,” she said.
She said one of the biggest myths she wanted to bust was advice telling people to dramatically increase their fibre intake overnight.
“I’m really against all these scare campaigns where they say, start immediately 45 grams of fibre per day,” Dr Winter said.
“Whereas if you haven’t had any, all of a sudden you switch from zero to 45, you’re going to be in pain.”
For beginners wanting to try fermenting at home, Dr Winter had simple advice.
“100% vegetables,” she said. “Start with a cabbage.”
“All you need is the vegetable and salt.”
She said many everyday foods were fermented without people realising it.
“So many foods are fermented foods that we don’t even realise,” Dr Winter said. “Chocolate is fermented food, coffee is fermented.”
The evening celebration at The Welders Dog will include a bespoke fermentation-themed canapé menu designed by UNE Life, a fermented beverage tasting of beer or switchel, a guided brewery tour and a keynote address from Dr Winter titled Fermentation Through The Ages.
“It’s trendy today, but it’s one of the oldest technologies out there,” she said.
Dr Winter said the whole event was designed to suit all levels of knowledge, from complete beginners through to experienced home fermenters.
“If you’re a beginner, then it will give you the foundation. If you’re a little bit more advanced, then you’ll be able to expand your knowledge and ask more questions, understand things deeper,” she said.
Tickets are available as an All Day Pass ($160 plus booking fee), Evening Celebration only ($130 plus booking fee), or Morning Masterclasses only ($65 plus booking fee), with card payments attracting an additional 1.47 per cent fee.
Dr Winter said organisers had been pleased with the response so far.
“We’re getting great responses, which is amazing,” she said.
“Once you know what you’re doing and you understand the system, then you realise it’s actually quite simple to handle.”
Tickets are on sale now online via 123 TIX.
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