Adding a bit of sour in a dish will add to its complexity, adult savviness and lasting memories.
When it comes to paleo, and I mean the real deal, there’s nothing much else to use except for what you can pick from a tree. So, here’s a list of pick-able sour foods, and a list of not-so-paleo foods.
Sour taste comes from acidic flavors
- lemons
- limes
- oranges
- grapefruit
- kumquats
- grapes
- tamarind
TIP: any sweet flavor added to the dish will reduce the sour punch, so — extracted citrus juice is more sweet, less sour … and… citrus pulp and rind will have more sour (the rind having more bitter, as well).
Not-so-paleo:
- Preserved lemons (uses high amounts of salt, which would not be considered paleo)
- Mock preserved lemons, the fastest making preserved lemons, ever. Click here to learn how to make’m.
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Fermented Foods
Fermented foods would require some knowledge of preservation and microorganisms, which the paleo folk just didn’t have. These around-the-world foods include:
- vinegar
- pickles
- wine
- sauerkraut
- kimchi
- soy sauce
- fish sauce
- shrimp paste
- dairy foods such as:
- yogurt
- kefir
- sour cream
- creme fraiche
- cottage cheese
- buttermilk
- bread (sourdough)
- fish (lutefisk)
- natto (fermented soy bean)
- poi (taro root)
- kanga pirau (corn)