The 10th annual Portland Fermentation Festival—a.k.a. Stinkfest—begins on October 9. We asked PFF cofounder and local cookbook author Liz Crain for three can't-miss recommendations. 

Jorinji Miso

Crain says: “Earnest and Yuri Migaki’s non-GMO, months-to-years-old misos are made with everything from soybeans to chickpeas and are my all-time favorites. They always set up an elaborate festival table with all sorts of tasty hot and cold miso treats like a miso soup bar, white miso granola, and tonjiru (root vegetable miso stew) with red miso.” 

Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider

“I met Nat at our first annual Portland Fermentation Festival at Ecotrust in 2009. Now you can find Nat’s hard cider around the world. Nat uses the festival as an annual catalyst to try a new, wild ferment. Over the years he’s sampled everything from Korean makgeolli and Mongolian milk wine to chicha (a Latin American chewed and spit fermented corn beverage). This year he’s trying his hand at Japanese amazake, a traditional sweet fermented rice drink.”

Noraneko

“Gabe Rosen (owner of Central Eastside Industrial District ramen bar Noraneko and Giraffe, a Japanese market inside the Cargo building) has tabled at our festival since day one. Over the years he’s brought everything from house-made kimchi, miso, and tsukemono (Japanese pickled vegetables) to freshly fried potato chips tossed in powdered kimchi and served with sour cream dip blended with dehydrated house sour pickles. I’ll never forget those magical chips and dip—I’m a midwestern girl at heart.”