Over 1,100 koji experts and enthusiasts from 63 different countries and 49 states gathered virtually for this year’s KojiCon. Koji, the mold-based ferment prevalent in East Asia and used to make soy sauce, sake and miso, is becoming more common in restaurants and in home cooking around the world.
The second annual KojiCon wrapped-up March 6. It was created by the Yellow Farmhouse Education Center, a nonprofit organization based at Stone Acres Farm in Stonington, Connecticut. The center focuses on food and farm education through educational opportunities. Rich Shih, co-author of Koji Alchemy, who helps organize the event, joined speakers like Sandor Katz, Misti Norris, Takashi Sato, Hiroko Shimbo, Kirsten Shockey, Jeremy Umansky and David Zilber and Mara King speaking on the theme of “Changing Food for Good.”
“It opens our eyes to possibilities beyond koji, within the Asian approach towards fermentation, primarily mold-based,” Shih said of the conference. “We want you to discover that, through fermentation, maybe just adding a little bit of salt or drying it or you know of course adding these mold-based ferments that we’re talking about, you can create amazing flavors.”
Pictured are Jen Rothman and Eric Dawson of Yellow Farmhouse, Shih, Irene Yoo of Yoo Eating, King and Umansky.
Though the conference is over, tickets to watch the recordings are still available at: https://kojicon.org/