Other

Also called chhi-um, chhawhchhi (sesame).

Chhi-um is Mizo sesame that is pan-heated, crushed in a wooden mortar and kept in a closed container on top of the fireplace for three days, after which it is used to add taste to other food. A second Mizo sesame, chhipui, is heated and pounded with salt until oily and sticky and is eaten as a side dish without further processing.

1. Heat the sesame in a pan
2. Crush in a wooden mortar
3. Keep closed on top of the fireplace3 days

• Lalthanpuii P.B., Lalruatfela B., Zoramdinthara, Lalthanzara H. 2015, Traditional food processing techniques of the Mizo people of Northeast India, Science Vision 15(1):39–45
• English Wikipedia, Mizo cuisine (read 2026-10; lists chhi-um among fermented dishes)

Also called 음식디미방, 규곤시의방, Eumsik jimibang, Gyugon siuibang.

This entry is a historical source, not a single ferment. The Eumsik dimibang is a Korean cookbook written in Hangul around 1670 by Lady Jang of Andong for her daughters and daughters-in-law. Of its 132 entries, 51 are on brewing alcohol, and it also records vinegars, kimchi and salted fish, and ways to store meat, fruit, vegetables and seafood.

• Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, 규곤시의방 (閨壼是議方), article by Hwang Hye-seong, read 2026-10
• Korean Wikipedia, 음식디미방 (read 2026-10-16; source of the liquor list)

Fermotein is an industrial food ingredient, not a traditional ferment. The mould Rhizomucor pusillus strain CBS 143028 is grown by fermentation, and its whole mycelium is harvested and dried into a biomass powder rich in protein, fibre and micronutrients. The EU authorised it as a novel food for adults in July 2026.

1. Grow the mould by fermentation
2. Harvest the whole mycelium
3. Dry into a biomass powder

Safety: EU authorisation is for adults only; the label must say it should not be eaten by people under 18 or by pregnant or breastfeeding women. In a 90-day rat study the highest dose, 300,000 ppm in the diet, caused no adverse effects. Screening of allergy patients' sera found only weak and limited IgE binding, and the genome lacks mucoricin, the toxin behind mucormycosis.

• AGRINFO (COLEAD, EU-funded) 2026, Novel food, Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium, summary of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1507 of 3 July 2026, citing EFSA Journal 2025 23(12):e9707
• Scaife K., Vo T.D., Dommels Y., Leune E., Albermann K., Pařenicová L. 2023, In silico and in vitro safety assessment of a fungal biomass from Rhizomucor pusillus for use as a novel food ingredient, Food and Chemical Toxicology 179:113972 (abstract)
• Scaife K., Phipps K.R., Scalise D., Polgár O. 2025, Subchronic toxicity evaluation of dietary administration of a fungal biomass from Rhizomucor pusillus, Journal of Applied Toxicology 45:400–417 (abstract)
• Versteeg S.A., Akkerdaas J.H., Pařenicová L. et al. 2026, In silico prediction and IgE serum screening for potential allergenicity of novel foods, a case of fungal biomass Fermotein, Frontiers in Allergy 7:1746353

Also called 규합총서, Kyuhap ch'ongsŏ.

This entry is a historical source, not a single ferment. The Gyuhap chongseo is a household encyclopedia that the scholar Bingheogak Yi compiled in 1809. Its food section, the Jusaui, records how to make jang (fermented soybean pastes and sauces), brew liquor, and make rice dishes, tteok, sweets and side dishes.

• Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, 규합총서 (閨閤叢書), article by Jeong Yang-wan, read 2026-10
• English Wikipedia, Kyuhap ch'ongsŏ
• Kim E.-S., Han M.-J., 규합총서에 수록된 부식류의 조리법에 관한 고찰, J. Korean Soc. Food Culture (abstract via koreascholar)

Also called oso, fermented Osodendron altissimum seed.

Oso is made in Nigeria and Ghana by fermenting the seeds of the swamp-forest tree Osodendron (formerly Cathormion) altissimum and grinding them into a protein-rich paste. The paste is cooked and eaten as a main food, a delicacy or a seasoning for soups and stews. It is fatty and spoils fast, keeping no more than about a week after fermentation.

1. Ferment the seeds
2. Grind into a paste
3. Keep and use quickly28–32 °C

Safety: Staphylococcus aureus was among the bacteria isolated from fermented oso. The product cannot be kept longer than one week after fermentation because it deteriorates fast.

• Jolaoso A.A., Ajayi J.O., Ogunmuyiwa S.I.O., Albert O.M. 2012, Changes in functional properties as a measure of biochemical deterioration of oso (fermented seeds of Cathormion altissimum), Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences 3(4):608–613
• Koenen E.J.M. 2022, Osodendron gen. nov. (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae), a new genus of mimosoid legumes of tropical Africa, PhytoKeys 205:453–470 (etymology)
• Popoola T.O.S., Jolaoso A.A., Afolabi R.O. 2004, Microbiology of the production of Oso, a condiment made by fermenting seeds of Cathormion altissimum, Tropical Science 44:187–189 (cited; not read)

Also called 산가요록.

This entry is a historical source, not a single ferment. The Sangayorok is an early Joseon farming and food manual by the court physician Jeon Sun-ui, with 229 recipes. Its food part records 51 liquors, 13 jang, 7 vinegars, 22 kimchi and 7 kinds of sikhae, the lactic rice ferments of fish, meat and vegetables.

• Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, 산가요록 (山家要錄), article by Han Bok-jin (2010, revised 2023), read 2026-10
• Korean Wikipedia, 산가요록 (read 2026-10-16), citing 한복려 et al. 2016 음식고전

Also called sigda, fermented sesame seedcake.

Sigda is a traditional Sudanese food made by fermenting the cake left after pressing sesame oil. Lactic acid bacteria, mainly a Streptococcus, sour the cake to pH 4.0 within three days, and the product is then dried.

1. Ferment the sesame cake3 days
2. Dry

Safety: The mixture fell to pH 4.0 after 3 days in the study [Elfaki1991].

• Elfaki A.E., Dirar H.A., Collins M.A., Harper D.B. 1991, Biochemical and microbiological investigations of sigda, a Sudanese fermented food derived from sesame oilseed cake, J Sci Food Agric 57(3):351–365, doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740570306 (abstract)

Also called 수운잡방.

This entry is a historical source, not a single ferment. The Suun japbang is a Korean cookbook written in Classical Chinese around 1540 by Kim Yu, with a second part compiled by his grandson Kim Ryeong. Nearly half of its 121 recipes are liquors, and it also records vinegars, kimchi, jang, a fish sikhae and tarak (a milk preparation).

• Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, 수운잡방 (需雲雜方), article by Jeong Hye-gyeong, last revised 2025, read 2026-10
• Korean Wikipedia, 수운잡방 (read 2026-10-16)

Also called tempe bongkrèk, bongkrek.

Tempe bongkrek is a tempeh made by pressing the coconut left over from coconut-milk or oil making into a cake and growing Rhizopus mould through it. If the soil bacterium Burkholderia gladioli pv. cocovenenans takes hold instead, it makes bongkrekic acid, a heat-stable toxin that has killed many people. Indonesia banned its production after an outbreak in 1988.

1. Press the leftover coconut into a cake
2. Inoculate with Rhizopus and incubate22–30 °C

Safety: Do not make or eat tempe bongkrek. This page records a banned food; we found no tested home method. A contaminated cake can look, smell and taste normal, and a 2017 review found no reliable commercial test to screen for the toxin. Bongkrekic acid blocks the mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocase and is heat-stable, so do not count on frying or boiling to make a contaminated cake safe. It forms best at 22–30 °C and pH 6.5–8.0, and 2% salt alone reduced it but did not stop it. In coconut media no toxin was found with 10% coconut fat or less (dry basis), while 40–50% fat gave up to 1.4 mg/g, but corn flour foods and rice noodles have also caused fatal poisonings. In one lab study 2% salt plus acid to pH 4.5 blocked toxin formation in tempe bongkrek, but that is not a home safeguard, because many acidic foods have also been linked to outbreaks. The lethal dose in humans is poorly known; one source suggests 1–1.5 mg can be fatal, and another an oral LD50 of 3.16 mg/kg (Anwar et al. 2017). Treatment is supportive care only. Reported mortality averages about 60% in Indonesian outbreaks.

• Anwar M., Kasper A., Steck A.R., Schier J.G. 2017, Bongkrekic acid, a review of a lesser-known mitochondrial toxin, Journal of Medical Toxicology 13(2):173–179
• Buckle K.A., Kartadarma E. 1990, Inhibition of bongkrek acid and toxoflavin production in tempe bongkrek containing Pseudomonas cocovenenans, Journal of Applied Bacteriology 68(6):571–576 (abstract)
• Garcia R.A., Hotchkiss J.H., Steinkraus K.H. 1999, The effect of lipids on bongkrekic (bongkrek) acid toxin production by Burkholderia cocovenenans in coconut media, Food Additives and Contaminants 16(2):63–69 (abstract)
• Han D., Chen J., Chen W., Wang Y., Wang Y. 2023, Bongkrekic acid and Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans, formidable foe and ascending threat to food safety, Foods 12(21):3926