SeEat

Fermented food on a menu: kimchi, miso, soy sauce, fish sauce and black beans

On a menu, fermented means an ingredient was transformed by microorganisms over time, with salt often helping the desirable ones grow while holding back others.[1] In restaurant food it usually arrives as a seasoning inside a dish rather than as the dish itself: miso is steamed soybeans mixed with koji and salt,[2] fish sauce is fish fermented with salt or brine for months,[3] and kimchi is vegetables preserved with spices and fermented seafood.[4] Expect salty, savory and sometimes sour flavors, and ask what a sauce or paste is made from if you have allergies.

Editorial review ·

Choose your order with SeEatDownload for iOS

What to order

  • Kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) or kimchi fried rice: dishes cooked with kimchi, an essential part of Korean meals.[4] Ask how spicy the dish is and whether the kimchi was made with seafood.
  • Miso soup or miso-glazed fish: miso comes in rice, barley and soybean types, from sweet to salty, and its color depends on how long it aged.[2] If you prefer a milder flavor, ask whether the kitchen uses a white or a darker miso.
  • Dishes seasoned with soy sauce, such as teriyaki or dipping sauces: soy sauce is a fermented seasoning sold in several styles, including dark koikuchi, light usukuchi and thicker tamari.[2] Ask for it on the side if you want to control the salt.
  • Thai and Vietnamese dishes with fish sauce: fish sauce is a popular condiment and seasoning across Asia, and Thai nam pla ferments fish with salt or brine for up to about 18 months.[3] It flavors many dressings and dips, so ask if you avoid fish.
  • Black bean dishes, such as spare ribs, fish or clams in black bean sauce on Cantonese menus: the beans are douchi, a salted, fermented soybean product eaten in China for at least 2,000 years.[5] Expect a salty, savory sauce, and ask whether chili is added.

35 menus

Frequently asked questions

Is fermented the same as pickled?

Not always. Fresh-pack or quick pickles are acidified with vinegar and are not fermented, while sauerkraut and regular dill pickles ferment and cure for about three weeks.[1] So kimchi is a fermented food, but a quick pickled cucumber on the same table may not be. The pickled page covers side-dish pickles; ask the server which method the house uses if it matters to you.

Which allergens hide in fermented sauces?

Soybeans, wheat and fish are all among the major food allergens in the US, and most restaurant food that is not pre-packaged with a label falls outside allergen labeling rules.[6] Traditional soy sauce contains wheat, though tamari made without wheat is gluten-free, and soy sauce can also hide in marinades and dressings.[7] If you have a serious allergy or celiac disease, speak with staff in person; only the kitchen can confirm what goes into a dish.

Are fermented sauces high in sodium?

Usually. FDA names soy sauce among high-sodium foods that taste salty, puts the Daily Value at less than 2,300 mg and suggests asking for sauces on the side when eating out.[8] Salt is part of how many ferments are made, because it helps keep food from spoiling.[2] If you are limiting sodium, taste before adding more soy or fish sauce at the table.

Why do fermented sauces taste so savory?

During fermentation, enzymes break proteins down into peptides and amino acids, and in fish sauce glutamate is the main amino acid behind its umami taste.[3] That is why a spoonful of fish sauce, miso or black beans can season a whole dish. If a dish tastes too strong for you, ask whether the sauce can be reduced or served on the side.

Are fermented foods probiotic?

A menu cannot promise that. NIH's complementary health center describes probiotics as live microorganisms intended to have health benefits and notes they are found in yogurt and other fermented foods, but says that in most instances researchers still do not know which probiotics are helpful.[9] Treat fermented dishes as a flavor choice, and ask a clinician about health questions.

Related guides

Sources

  1. National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia, USDA NIFA-supported). General Information on Pickling. Accessed
  2. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF). Soy sauce, miso, other seasonings | Traditional Foods in Japan. Accessed
  3. Foods (MDPI, via PubMed Central). A Comprehensive Review with Future Insights on the Processing and Safety of Fermented Fish and the Associated Changes. Accessed
  4. UNESCO. Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea. Accessed
  5. Microorganisms (MDPI, via PubMed Central). Fermented Soy Products and Their Potential Health Benefits: A Review. Accessed
  6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Allergies. Accessed
  7. Celiac Disease Foundation. Sources of Gluten. Accessed
  8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sodium in Your Diet. Accessed
  9. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Probiotics: What You Need To Know. Accessed
Choose your order with SeEatDownload for iOS