"Do you know about Kombucha?"
"Do I kombu-what?"
"Have you tried Kombucha?"
"I guess not, I've never heard of it."
I've now been introduced to the mighty Kombucha (kom-BOO-cha). Until reading up about this Chinese tea, all I could understand from my knowledgable friends and coworkers was that it was something to do with tea, mushrooms, good health, and something about being like friendship bread. Now I know that it is a fermented tea with tons of nutrients like probiotics, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants etc etc. Kombucha supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, and a long list of other great things. It's origin is Chinese so I'm interested to find out in a few weeks if the Chinese actually drink it or if it is something we Americans have taken and publicized to the extreme, kind of like Brazilian Acai Berries.
But in hopes of staying healthy as we travel (Josh has had pneumonia and I've been fighting a cold), I tried the kombucha. And...I liked it. I didn't try a homemade version but instead picked up a cold bottle at Whole Foods (and pricey might I add). I tried the Ginger Berry flavor, slightly sweet with a little kick of carbonation-like fizz and spice. You can buy a bottle at Whole Foods or you can get it on tap at the new Trolley Square Whole Foods location.
The mushroom description, I found out, comes from the tea after its been fermented. Once fermented, it actually looks like a mushroom or pancake. People share a portion of it (like a friendship bread) and then you let it grow to the appropriate size, then use and pass on a portion. I'm still unsure on how it goes from tea to mushroom/pancake then back to tea..
Another random fact is that in its more acidic forms, it can actually contain 1.5% alcohol. Noted.
