Experimenting with Fermented Food from Bao Cultured

Since all the drama in the Chicago food world this week has led to a discussion about proper disclosure, I'm going to start off this post being honest with you guys. I get sent stuff for free. Shocking, I know. And a lot of times, the stuff I am sent ends up on this blog. Do I post about it because I have to? Never. Have I ever over exaggerated my love of a product? Well... I have to admit that I have, on occasion. Or rather, Bunny and/or Brandy did. Not me (that's how I used to keep my conscious clear). But for the last several years, I've made an effort to be more discerning and honest because I didn't like the idea that I was encouraging people to buy something I may not have believed in whole heartedly.

The truth of the matter is that I am very excited about most of the things I am sent. Generally, they come from smaller, start up companies who can't afford to pay the thousands of dollars some bloggers demand for a post. I'm happy to accept samples without monetary compensation because I love being allowed to try these products on my own terms and really get to know them. A lot of times, they are things I never would have come across organically, but they become products I end up buying over and over again. Every time I see a company I worked with suddenly appearing on grocery store shelves, it makes me incredibly happy. Watching these home grown startups thrive and knowing that I may have helped them in even the teeniest tiniest way to achieve their goals truly gives me a thrill.

Now that that's all out of the way, let's talk about Bao Cultured. This company produces a host of fermented products, from pickled veggies to hot sauces to kombucha. Every single one of their products is certified organic and brimming with probiotic cultures They were kind enough to send me a humongous box filled with their wears, and I have been slowly testing and playing with them for about a month now.

First, let's talk about the kombucha. I'm actually a pretty big fan of kombucha. I try to drink it at least once a week to keep my digestion on track. These guys are producing some of the most unique flavors I've ever seen; stuff like cola, elderberry, and hibiscus. There's also plenty of approachable flavors, like grape, mango, and ginger, and even a Super Green flavor for an added boost of nutrients. I was really impressed with all of the Bao kombuchas I tried, but I was really surprised by the Cola. It had a natural herby flavor that weirdly reminded me of the sarsaparilla you can get at the Bristol Ren Fair. The grape was also a favorite, as was the ginger, but I honestly loved them all. I'm sure there's plenty of creative things to be done with kombucha, but I just drank all of them straight out of the bottle.

I also had the chance to try two of their jarred veggies and a few of their signature sauces. Giardiniera is a condiment immediately recognizable to anyone in Chicago, but if you're not familiar with this pickled veggie mix, it usually consists of cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, plenty of vinegar, and various spices. It's commonly eaten on Italian Beef sandwiches out here in the Windy City, but I've seen it used on everything from hot dogs to eggs benedict. Bao's verison wasn't overly spicy or briny, and managed to maintain the crunchiness of the veggies. I found that I enjoyed piling it on a good steak burger to add texture. They had also given me their Spicy Slaw, which was mainly cabbage and daikon radish. Since I'm a little iffy with spice, I was kind of nervous about this one, but it ended up being perfectly balanced. I used this mix to top off some smoked chicken tacos, along with a little avocado and sour cream. The crunch and tang of the veggies was an absolutely perfect accompaniment, though I wish I had drained them off a little first instead of spooning them on straight out of the jar, as the juices made my tortillas fall apart slightly.

Lastly was the sauces; four signature hot sauces and a sour ketchup. Again, I'm not a huge spice head, but I have an appreciation for hot sauces that have good flavor and not just heat. I first tried the Chipotle hot sauce on the aforementioned burger. It added a really great smokiness and tang to every bite that I very much enjoyed. Next time, I might even mix a little into the patties. The mango hot sauce was another stand out. I used that to spice up the chicken in the tacos, and the slightly fruity flavor worked really well with my other chosen fillings. Lastly, there was the sour ketchup. I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of this product. I think my brain is just too accustomed to the sweetness of traditional ketchup, so the tang and slight fermented funk of this product just didn't quite work for me in a traditional French-fry-dipping sense. But perhaps I'll find another use for it somewhere down the road.

So thank you to Bao Cultured for sharing the fruits (and veggies) of your labor with me! What do you think? Do you fear the funk of fermented food, or are you curious about add a few probiotic-rich ingredients into your routine? You can order Bao products directly from their website, or you can look for them lots of specialty food markets across the US.

I was sent products by the company free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post. All opinions are my own.