What?!
7 Different cultural locations in Amsterdam are competing in a fermentation competition with sausages from Brandt & Levie. You might not know it, but a sausage develops it's flavors because of fermentation: its interaction with local natural flora of micro-organisms on the spot. Every location received a package of sausages to be hung in their location. After a period of four weeks we will remove them and see what the difference is in taste, colour and consistency. The participating locations are: Brandt & Levie, Vice Magazine, Waag Society, KesselsKramer, Vuurtoreneiland, Keuringsdienst van Waarde and Mediamatic.
The fermentation process
The butchery of Brandt & Levie has prepared a bunch of sausages especially for this project. After mixing the basic ingredients from biologically bred pigs, some swiss chard powder, a special bacteria (staphylococcus carnosus), dextrose and lactic acid bacteria are added to the sausage mixture. These components help dropping the pH level and create favourable conditions for the fermentation process.
After two days the sausages are sent to the ‘wild’, exposed to the attacks of diverse moulds and yeasts living in the natural flora of the chosen locations. In a period of four weeks these organisms find their way onto the meat creating a special flavour.
The first comparative tasting of the sausages will take place during Bio-me, at the opening of the exhibition Kunstformen Der Natur on September 18th 20:30.
About Bio-me
The Bio-me is a three-day symposium and festival from 18th—20th September, that aims to create a shared knowledge environment and production space to investigate the social, technological and cultural implications and potential of Fungal and Bio-based materials through art, architecture and design. Learn more about the Bio-me here.