I can ferment anything - or at least try to. All right, that is of course baloney. What is no nonsense is my passion to experiment with fermentation.

Katsu is a Japanese dish that consists of a piece of meat, usually chicken, or vegetables. It is first breaded, then fried and cut into strips. It is usually served with a sauce.

Katsu (カツ jap. cutlet, /ˈkæt.suː/)

That my name is Schnitzel is actually quite accurate. In my family we always ate homecooked meals with a lot of love, the kitchen table was the center of our family and my mother was a fantastic cook, just like her mother. This has fortunately passed on to me and so my recipes for ferments and the flavor combinations taste really delicious.

You don't believe me? Then you might just have to try it yourself 😆

And who is this Katsu?

The Hamburg Journal from NDR also asked that question and produced a short report about me.

Besides that I am nerd web developer in the team behind the most watched news program on German TV, a passionate walker, runner and wild fermentista. Together with my family I live in the most beautiful part of Hamburg, Altona, not far away from the harbor and the water and yet in the middle of the colorful, multicultural hustle and bustle of the Hanseatic city with all its daily small and big inspirations.

Certified fermentista

Since I completed the Harvard University online course Food Fermentation: The Science of Cooking with Microbes , I can also refer to myself as a certified fermentista.

Even with my experience, I have benefited from the course. Before, I fermented with gut feeling, research, intuition and trial and error. Now I know the biochemical background much more precisely and can make scientifically founded ferments - if that ain't cool!

I also enjoy doing supervised remote fermenting. For instance, the other day with podcast host Katharina Mahrenholtz, who made ginger beer herself for her podcast eat.READ.sleep. from NDR. This co-production was a lot of fun. Have a listen to what Katharina has to say about her fermented drink. And please feel free to keep listening, the podcast is very worthwhile! Eat, read, sleep, and chat charmingly about it, this podcast is really fun! Sidenote: It's in German.

All recipes are tried and true

I love to ferment and eat with my family and friends. I also like to share fermented treats with my colleagues, and here and there I write down recipes or shoot short how-to videos. So that all this is collected in one place and the knowledge can propagate further, here is the place.

My particular nature as a nerd means that I have a tendency to not just touch on funky special topics and interests, but to explore them in depth. So you can rest assured that everything you read on fermentation.love is thoroughly researched. And if I learn something new, the articles will be revised. So you always get the latest information. Some of my sources are mentioned directly in the articles. You can also find an overview of my most frequently used sources in the footer of this page. This may help you in your own study of fermentation.

Every recipe that I publish, I have prepared myself several times. By observing different fermentation processes and the subsequent analysis, the recipes have general validity. Only if something has turned out well and tastes good to me and my folks, I put together the ingredients and preparation steps and share the recipe with you here.

Show me your ferments!

If you take a journey to the flavors and wild ferments based on my recipes, I'm super delighted if you share it with me. The best way is to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

Really looking forward to hearing from you ❤️

Fermentation is community

I didn't come up with all the ferments myself. Some I learned from friends or acquaintances, or read in books. I respectfully bow to my mentors and the diverse and incredibly inspiring worldwide fermentista community. My respect is for the traditions and cultures that have been passed down, and I consider myself fortunate to be an element in this ecosystem of fermentations.

Fermentation is just a fabulous way to tickle aroma out of food.