Fermented foods are experiencing a popularity boost from a new crowd, including the MAHA movement and the Donald Trump cabinet, who enjoy meat like steak with fermented sides such as kimchi or sauerkraut at every meal. WIRED visited Portland, Oregon, to see if there was any overlap between this steak-and-ferment crowd and attendees at the city’s long-running annual fermentation festival.
Inside the 14th Annual Fermentation Festival
Now in its 14th year, the Portland festival was launched in 2009 by local fermentation enthusiasts with help from author Sandor Katz. Festival co-organizer Liz Crain explained that the event features a potluck-style atmosphere with no items for sale, fostering deep, personal conversations without gatekeeping. Over several hundred attendees flowed through the space, visiting exhibitors who handed out free samples of fermented foods.
The event showcased a wide array of unique culinary creations. Oregon State University fermentation microbiology researcher Chris Curtin noted that registered dietitians have consistently ranked fermented foods among superfoods over the past decade, adding that kitchen fermentation serves as an accessible scientific experiment. Festival offerings included an orange whey Julius, Peruvian corn beer called chicha made with the help of ptyalin enzymes from saliva, and miso soup samples from Jorinji Miso.
Community Sharings and Unique Ferments
Makers and attendees shared diverse items at the community table, ranging from plum and dandelion wines to a 15-year-old dehydrated miso brought from Hokkaido by third-generation bean purveyor Kiyomi Hasagewa. Occupational therapist Eva Ortega and fermentation enthusiast Letti Kittel attended to learn and share kombucha starters. Meanwhile, festival co-founder George Winborn discussed how the event helped him scratch a farming itch after moving to a home without a yard.
Regarding the MAHA movement’s affinity for meat and sauerkraut, Crain acknowledged some positive aspects of favoring less-processed foods, though she criticized a diet consisting solely of beef and sauerkraut as lacking diversity. Conversely, attendee Megan Andricos recalled following a similar kimchi-and-meat diet two years prior, noting that it helped even out their gut biome.
