Fermented Plums for Drinks and Seasoning

Often associated with Japan, fermented plums are widely used across East Asia, with their own expressions found throughout China. In many of the places we’ve visited, restaurants and households make their own, shaping the flavor to suit their kitchens.

At Fermentation Canteen, the owner, a seasoned entrepreneur from Yunnan who later settled in Chengdu, draws from a background where fermentation was once a necessity. That experience shows up in his work today. His fermented plums shift with the seasons, used in drinks, sauces, and small accents across the menu, adding a sharp, rounded acidity that ties dishes together.