by Victoria Cosford
From a forty-bottle batch she made back in March, Katerina Lazareva now makes 300 bottles a week of her Matcha & Moringa Amazake. Having introduced this powerhouse of a beverage to her customers, even she has been surprised at how quickly it became popular. ‘It’s a drinkable IV full of nutrients and active probiotics’, she tells me, ‘with a sweet umami flavour.’
Already well-known for her range of fermented products – like sauerkraut and kimchi – Katerina wanted to create a drinkable form of Koji, that living mix of mould and rice that, in Japan, is the building block for various foods and drinks such as sake, soy, miso and mirin. Chef Peter Gilmour has pronounced that it’s ‘pretty hot at present’. Koji is also responsible for that famous umami flavour; it renders foods more digestible, tasty and tender. Katerina, who always incorporates local ingredients into her products, uses Marlivale Farm brown rice as well as moringa, a plant sometimes known as horseradish tree owing to the flavour of its roots. ‘It’s nourishing’, she tells me, ‘and can serve as a breakfast.’ It’s become her best seller.
Certainly, this is the time of year when many of us succumb to the excesses of rich foods, when we can all benefit from digestive aids such as this beverage. ‘Fermented products are natural probiotics’, Katerina explains, ‘which generally assist with detoxing and optimal gut health.’
Her other new products are salts – but these are no ordinary salts. Fermented elements are combined with South Australian salts to create a healthy alternative to salt, two types currently being Turmeric & Holy Basil, and Umami Seaweed & Koji. After trying these –sprinkled over avocado toast, scattered over poached eggs – I’m reluctant to use anything else. Oh, and in their elegant glass jars they look gorgeous too!
Byron Fermentary is at New Brighton Farmers Market every Tuesday 8–11am and Mullumbimby every Friday 7–11am.
