How can I replicate this?

[Morning Glory]

I made some plum chutney to go with the smoked goat's curd I made - see here:Applewood Smoked Goat’s Curd with Lacy Whey Pancake and Plum Chutney (the recipe for the chutney is posted there).

Completely unintentionally, the chutney fermented. The way I bottled it was to fill a small jar to the brim, then put on the lid and turned it upside down to ensure a vacuum. I left it on a (not sunny) windowsill. Two days later I discovered it had popped the lid and was fizzing! I tasted and wow! Better tasting that the remainder of the chutney which I had put in a dish in the fridge. I left it another three days and everyday it fizzed up again, subsiding a bit when I opened the lid. Here is day two:

This is simply some of the best tasting chutney I've ever made! I did read somewhere that ferments can be started with ginger, so I'm thinking maybe that is what caused it. But I also made a mango chutney using the same amount of ginger juice and left that on the same windowsill - that didn't ferment.

I intend to replicate the recipe to see if it happens again - but I'd like to understand more about the process so that its not hit and miss. Does anyone have any knowledge about this?

 

[sidevalve]

I would guess that the ferment was caused by some wild yeasts [similar to when making scrumpy - the apple juice is just left to ferment]. It seems some of the yeast survived and there you go {you will also have some alcohol in there somewhere as yeast turns sugar into alcohol as a by product].

 

[Morning Glory]

I would guess that the ferment was caused by some wild yeasts [similar to when making scrumpy - the apple juice is just left to ferment]. It seems some of the yeast survived and there you go {you will also have some alcohol in there somewhere as yeast turns sugar into alcohol as a by product].

It certainly tastes alcoholic! That is probably why I like it so much.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'm with @sidevalve on this one. It was probably wild yeast (aka mold spores) on the skins on the plums that caused it.I'mn guessing that your simmering didn't kill them, which is quite possible because you can simmer without actually bringing something or all of something up to the boil first (think about cold spots in food that has been microwaved for example).

 

[Morning Glory]

I'm with @sidevalve on this one. It was probably wild yeast (aka mold spores) on the skins on the plums that caused it.I'mn guessing that your simmering didn't kill them, which is quite possible because you can simmer without actually bringing something or all of something up to the boil first (think about cold spots in food that has been microwaved for example).

I guess you are right. I can try doing it again but the plums are going to be different ones so it may not work.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

When making kimchi, there's a similar reaction that you want to happen. As scary as it sounds (but it really isn't), bacteria converts the sugars to create that bubbling. I'm not sure of what proportions are needed, but I'm sure that there's significantly more sugar in your chutney than I use in kimchi. But, here's something:

Mangos have 14.8g sugar per 100g of volume
Plums have 7.5g of sugar per 100g of volume

I would have expected the plums to have more sugar, which would have helped explain the fermentation there vs not in your mango chutney. Do you add sugar when you make your mango chutney? It could be that this is the difference-maker.

 

[Morning Glory]

I would have expected the plums to have more sugar, which would have helped explain the fermentation there vs not in your mango chutney. Do you add sugar when you make your mango chutney? It could be that this is the difference-maker.

That is interesting. Not sure I quite understand as kimchi doesn't have any added sugar - or does it?

Recipe for the mango chutney is here: Hot and Sour Mango Chutney. I added less sugar to the mango - 1 tsp per mango as opposed to 1 tbsp per 4 plums.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

That is interesting. Not sure I quite understand as kimchi doesn't have any added sugar - or does it?

Recipe for the mango chutney is here: Hot and Sour Mango Chutney. I added less sugar to the mango - 1 tsp per mango as opposed to 1 tbsp per 4 plums.

I add a teaspoon of sugar to a huge batch of kimchi (about half a head of cabbage if I use cabbage). But, the bubbling in kimchi is very slow and subtle.

As bacteria converts sugar, a gas is released. So, the more sugar you have, the more gas. I used to brew beer, and sugar (or malt extract) was added to the beer at bottling to create the carbonation: in that case, it was yeast creating the gas. I know of people who used too much sugar, and ended up with exploding bottles.