You could be fermenting!

Fermentology: Mini-seminars about applied ecology, evolution, history and culture of cultured food

Do you feel like you are currently fermenting under stay-at-home conditions? Then we have the seminar series for you!

“Fermentology 101” is a weekly series of short talks (20 minutes, on average) for anyone hungry to engage in food, culture, history, and science—but in the context of what you have in your pantry and fridge at home.

Sponsored by the Department of Applied Ecology at NC State University, the NC State University Libraries, and the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics at the University of Copenhagen, the talks happen on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m., unless otherwise specified. Speakers will range from bakers and cheesemakers to archaeologists, evolutionary biologists, chemists, paleontologists and more. Geared toward anyone who likes food, all talks will be held online and will be recorded and available afterward on the Applied Ecology YouTube page.

Tickets to the seminars are available (free) on the Applied Ecology site. Once you reserve a ticket, an attendance link will be sent to you.

The series kicks off on Thursday, April 16 at 4:00 p.m. with the team leaders of “Wild Sourdough,” a new collaborative exploring the science of sourdough bread. The team will discuss their motivations behind the project, describe recent sourdough science discoveries, and explain the key steps necessary to make a sourdough starter as part of this project. As they do, they will also discuss the science behind each of those steps.

A series listing is below. Visit the Fermentology 101 page for full descriptions of each seminar. All talks happen at 4:00 p.m. unless otherwise listed.

  • April 23: Why Do People Care for Sourdough?
  • April 30: The Evolutionary History of Bread and Beer Yeast
  • May 7: The Fundamentals of Bread Baking Science
  • May 14: The Biology of the Bread That Bees Make
  • May 21: On the Culture of Cheese
  • May 28: The World’s Oldest Cheese and Yoghurt
  • June 4: A Brief History of Sourdough
  • June 11: Baking Yeasts of the Future: Where to Discover Them and What They Can Offer
  • June 18: Fermentation in Ancient Mesopotamia, Beer, Bread and Beer
  • June 25: Microbial War and Peace in Cheese Rind Microbiomes
  • July 2: Fermenting for the Zombie Apocalypse
  • July 9: The Evolution of Sour Taste in Hominids
  • July 16: The Evolution of Fermentation by Primates
  • July 23: Novel Misos

For more information, contact Rob Dunn or Michelle Jewell.