SOME IMPORTANT FERMENTED FOODS OF MID-ASIA, THE MIDDLE-EAST, AND AFRICA

Other speakers in this Symposium discussed fermented foods of China, Japan, and Southeast Asia; I will describe several other fermented foods that are very important in Mid-Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. These fermentations, unlike those of the Orient, use bacteria and yeasts instead of filamentous fungi. They are acid products prepared from cereals traditionally grown in the areas, notably sorghum, millet, maize, and wheat. Since African, Middle Eastern, and Mid-Asian fermented foods are often supplemented with milk or legumes, the final protein content may be rather good. For example, bouza and ogi have a protein content of 11 to 13% on a dry weight basis, while in kishk the protein content is about 23.5%. In the Indian food idli, the protein average content is 15.3%. Advantages of acid fermented food products are: • Preservation of the fermented product because of the organic acids produced. These acid products are sometimes dried to give even longer keeping times. • They are high in fiber content. • Because some are dried, they may be transported easily from one place to another. • They probably have enhanced nutritional value because of the vitamins formed during production. • They are foods used for centuries and therefore culturally acceptable. • Unlike some of the other fermented foods discussed, they are used as main course dishes rather than flavoring agents. An example of a Mideast food prepared by lactic acid bacteria is tarhana of Turkey, which consists of parboiled wheat meal, yogurt, and added vegetables which are then allowed to ferment and then sun dried. In Central and South Africa, kaffir beer (Bantu beer) is made by malting maize or sorghum, fermenting with lactic acid bacteria to give a low pH, and then finally fermenting with a yeast. The protein content ranges from 8.5 to 11.9%. A second commercially produced product is mahewu (magou) prepared by the natural fermentation of maize to produce an acid mash which is then dried. This food has a content of 7-9% protein. © 1979 The American Oil Chemists' Society.