Sara El-Sayed and Christy Spackman on Fermented Foods and Inclusive Governance

What happens to traditions of fermentation when state regulations prohibit their sale and distribution? And can these ferments and their value to people help create more just, inclusive, and equitable food systems? Inspired by their research on the importance of fermentation for marginalized communities in Arizona, food scholars Sara El-Sayed and Christy Spackman sit down with Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Dan Bender to explain what happens in the microbial and cultural world of regulated and unregulated fermentation. Photo courtesy of Nalini Chhetri.