In this two part event we will consider microbes as heirlooms that are passed down intergenerationally from our ancestors. This can take the form of both vertical genetic inheritance, and the stories, foods and cultural practices that we inherit through which we can trace the ways humans have been entangled with microorganisms. Human bodies are holobionts composed of a host and trillions of microorganisms whose collective functioning keeps the whole alive. As ancestors, allies, and symbiotes, microbes have lived alongside us as long as we have lived. Human symbioses with microorganisms are an important adaptation and survival strategy that have shaped us and the world around us in important and meaningful ways. Yet, like many forms of biodiversity, global microbial biodiversity is under threat from climate change and an increasingly industrialised food system and a loss of land-based knowledge about heritage food practices.

Part 2: Dinner and Tasting

In the second event, you will be invited to taste the fermented drink and porridge whilst led in a discussion about what fermentation means to you, and how you understand microbes in your own daily encounters. We will also discuss other similar lactic wild ferments, and how they differ from other types of fermentation.

Recommended Reading:
The Scots Kitchen by F. Marian McNeill