It all begins in a farm. In 2019, while living and working on a farm in Castelo Branco, Portugal, I made my first sauerkraut. Surrounded by an abundance of fresh produce, preserving it became essential, not only to prevent waste but to support a self-sufficient lifestyle and enrich our meals with added nutrients. I began to think that a simple jar of handmade ferments is more than just a flavourful ingredient. It's a way of honouring the land and the people who tend it.
Bringing you small batches of artisanal, raw ferments in Lisbon. Since 2020
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From the Earth,
for the body
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In modern times, truly natural nourishment has become increasingly rare in grocery stores. Most products are industrially processed, laden with chemical additives and artificial preservatives. We have grown fearful of bacteria, obsessively sterilising our environments while consuming ultra-processed, unnatural products, while spending fortunes on supplements to compensate for declining health.
In the process, our bodies have lost their natural balance, becoming dependent on quick fixes to function. A gut depleted of healthy, diverse microbial life cannot sustain long-term wellbeing.
Restoring that balance begins with what we eat. A nourishing diet includes not only fermented foods, but also a wide diversity of plant-based ingredients, locally grown vegetables, and regeneratively raised meat. Our daily choices become medicine: supporting the gut’s ability to heal while encouraging a more natural way of growing, one that works in harmony with the ecosystems around us.
I’m founder and fermenter behind Fermen.table.
This project was born in 2020 as a journey of exploration and new discoveries during the pandemic lockdown. Born and raised in Italy to Chinese immigrant parents, food has always been my way of connecting to both heritage and home. My relationship with fermented foods began early. Childhood meals were filled with the bold, complex favors and I often could find fermented tofu for breakfast, preserved mustard greens in many mom's stir-fried dishes, or fermented bean pastes, kimchi, and more as side to every meal.
With Fermen.table, I aim to make a small but meaningful contribution to changing the current food industry. By keeping my production 100% natural, artisanal and at small scale, I hope to offer food that is both nourishing and true to its roots.
If you’d like to follow our journey, find us on Ingragram: @fermen.table