3 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:
Further down in that article, you will find:
Perhaps a reason botulism is rare in fermented foods is due to people actually following recipes that reduce its ability to grow...you know... using appropriate amounts of salt!
You are correct that the risks in fermented foods are very low, in part due to high salt and acid levels but they are not nil and the consequences (um, death) are so devastating that many here choose to follow guidelines.
I can't believe I'm devoting keystrokes here but there is absolutely nothing correct in the assumptions below. Nothing.
Choosing to incubate food stuffs in conditions (anaerobic, low salt, low acid) that allow C. botulinum growth and then cooking or adding acid, isn't a preventative as neither of those treatments will inactivate any botulinum toxin that might have been produced during your merry low-salt fermentation.
But, do carry on!
hmmmm..yes you might have a point. Now that I think about it, the fermented foods on the market like miso, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sichuan broad bean chili paste is very salty and I..can't really name a fermented sauce at least that's only lightly salted
But..I think it's just this intuition and judgment about the food in front of me...like this observation and past experience that gives me the confidence to know it's safe
I look at the japlapenos. It smells super good, looks bright, and fresh - hell yes it's safe! (in my mind)
And I balance the risk vs. reward (flavor) and it's worth it to me to ferment food at lower salt levels and the flavor is in-cre-dible!!!
