Traditional Fermented Foods Around the World and GAPS

Fermented foods have a much longer history than probiotic supplements. In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride describes cultures fermenting milk, fruit, vegetables, beans, fish, meat and cereals for thousands of years.^[1] That history helps explain why homemade ferments have such a prominent place in GAPS.

The Traditional Map of Fermented Foods

GAPS didn’t invent any of this. It’s pulling from a pattern that shows up almost everywhere people have eaten food for long enough to develop a food culture. Dr. Natasha lays out the traditional list by region^[2]:

• Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables, traditional across Russia, Germany, Eastern Europe, and Asia
• Table olives and salumi, a Mediterranean tradition
• Kefir, from Russia
• Mazun, a fermented dairy product from Armenia
• Kumiss, fermented mare’s milk from Russia and Asia
• Lassi, the fermented yogurt drink of India
• Gioddu, a fermented sheep’s milk product from Sardinia
• Yogurt and cheese, made in some form nearly everywhere in the world
• Fermented fish, a tradition in Korea, Sweden, Japan, and Russia
• Fermented grains, part of traditional African cuisine
• Fermented soya beans, a staple across Asia

The list includes cold and warm climates, coastal and inland communities, and very different staple foods. It gives you a wider view of fermentation than the few jars usually grouped together in a grocery-store refrigerator.

Why This Matters for GAPS

Campbell-McBride describes homemade fermented foods as the most potent probiotics used in her GAPS Nutritional Protocol. She writes that many people have recovered from chronic illness using these foods without a commercial probiotic.^[3] This is her account of their role in GAPS; the historical list is not a list of foods permitted at every stage.

A fermented grain or soybean dish can belong in a cultural history without belonging on your current GAPS plate. Check the actual ingredients and your stage in the GAPS food list. Likewise, a vinegar pickle and a live vegetable ferment are different preparations. Follow the complete fermenting method rather than assuming that anything sour contains live cultures.^[4]

Making a Ferment at Home

For the practical method, I use Sandor Katz’s The Art of Fermentation. Vegetable fermentation depends on conditions such as salt, temperature and keeping the vegetables under their liquid.^[4] Follow the vessel and venting method in the specific recipe. A general instruction to open every jar is not a substitute for that method.

At home, I make sauerkraut, kimchi and fermented kimchi hot sauce. During busy stretches I also buy ferments from Firefly in Seattle. Homemade fermented dairy is part of our weekly kitchen routine too. You can begin with one complete method that fits the time and equipment you have.

Starting Your Own Tradition

Our Full GAPS sauerkraut recipe gives you a complete vegetable-ferment method. Its Full GAPS label matters: making the ferment and deciding how much belongs in an earlier Intro stage are separate questions. The Stage 1 guide explains the starting context.

Does Traditional Mean GAPS-Compliant?

No. The book’s cultural examples include fermented grains and soybeans. Their place in that history does not change the GAPS food list. Use the actual food, preparation and stage when deciding what to make.^[1]

The Crock & Jar course is listed in my WFLI Shop.

References

1. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Nutritional Supplements for GAPS People,” “1. Probiotics”.
2. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Nutritional Supplements for GAPS People,” “1. Probiotics,” traditional fermented-food examples.
3. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Nutritional Supplements for GAPS People,” “1. Probiotics”, homemade fermented foods.
4. Katz, Sandor Ellix. The Art of Fermentation (2012), vegetable and dairy fermentation chapters.