In-house deli foods

The concept behind The Cultured Deli is to offer delicious and nutritious food for you for you to take away for lunch or to reheat at home.

Everything is freshly made in the deli kitchen and we source inspiration from World cuisine. What makes us different is that we have a larder jam packed with our own misos and garums – delicious amino sources that add umami goodness to the food we create. 

We also sell a range of ferments and interesting condiments. 

Keep in touch via social media @thecultureddeli where we’ll announce events and collaborations.

FERMENTATION

… and how it works

To turn our veggies into tasty, nutrient rich food we use an ancient process that is technically known as lacto-fermentation. Don’t worry, milk is not involved, the “lacto” portion of the term refers to a specific species of bacteria, namely Lactobacillus which have the ability to convert sugars into lactic acid. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. Lacto-fermentation enhances the nutritive value of the food, and many enzymes and probiotics are created.

In our krauts and kimchis, we use sea salt to extract the juices from our veggies. The vegetables ferment, submerged in their own juices, creating an anaerobic environment (free of oxygen) where only lactobacillus bacteria can survive. The lactobacillus bacteria act as a preservative, keeping harmful bacteria from living in the ferment.

In kombucha, there is the added excitement of a pellicle – also known as a scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) – to help turn sweetened tea into a lightly effervescent, tangy and tasty fermented tea. And we use kombucha as a starter culture in ferments such as our range of mustards.