Food News – Kombucha

You’ve probably noticed kombucha popping up at farmers’ and organic markets across town. It’s a fermented tea beverage, popular among a range of cultures (Chinese, Japanese and Russian to name a few) for thousands of years. It’s full of live enzymes and probiotics, and is usually drunk with the intention of improving both digestion and aiding general health. Many of my friends are already nursing their own SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) at home, and creating their own favourite kombucha flavours. If this sounds a little scientific, you might want to try a commercially produced variety. Herbs of Life in the Blue Mountains produce the best kombucha I’ve tried, across four different flavours. Ginger and Lime is the easiest to drink, though the Ginger and Turmeric is possibly the healthiest drink on the market; as not only is kombucha good for you, ginger and turmeric are too!  In fact, turmeric has been lauded as one of nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatories, due to the bioactive compound curcumin. It is also an incredible antioxidant, neutralising free radicals, and stimulating your body’s own antioxidant enzymes. Oh and if all the health benefits don’t sway you, the Herbs of Life Kombucha range make great vodka mixers too!  You can pick them up at Alfalfa House in Enmore for around five bucks a bottle.
www.herbsoflife.com.au