{"id":11977,"date":"2019-05-24T07:29:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T14:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nourishedkitchen.com\/?p=11977"},"modified":"2020-05-26T17:43:07","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T00:43:07","slug":"ginger-bug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nourishedkitchen.com\/ginger-bug\/","title":{"rendered":"Ginger Bug"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A ginger bug<\/strong> is a wild-fermented starter culture made with sugar, ginger, and water. It takes about a little less than a week of daily diligence to make one, and you can use it to make probiotic, naturally bubbly soft drinks, sodas, herbal beers, and tonics.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Chunks<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is ginger bug?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ginger bug is a slurry of fresh ginger, sugar, and water that has been allowed to ferment until bubbly and foamy. Brewers use the bug to brew fermented drinks<\/a> and drinks like root beer<\/a>, ginger beer, or probiotic lemonade.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like sourdough starter<\/a>, ginger bug is a starter culture that is rich in wild bacteria and yeast. These starters kickstart the fermentation process for other fermented foods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sourdough starters provide the bacteria and yeast to make bread<\/a>. Kombucha mothers make kombucha tea<\/a>. And ginger bugs make homemade, naturally fermented sodas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does it work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you mix ginger and sugar together with water and let it sit, the wild bacteria and native yeasts in your kitchen and on the ginger itself begin to proliferate and grow. These wild microorganisms eat the sugar in your bug and produce carbon dioxide as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When mixed with sweetened herbal tea, fruit juice, or another base, the microorganisms in the ginger bug consume the sugar in the tea or juice. As they do, they reproduce and emit carbon dioxide that gives homemade soft drinks their bubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are The Benefits of Ginger Bug<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since ginger bugs are fermented foods, they're naturally rich in probiotics, namely lactobacillus bacteria, and wild yeasts. These organisms help to support metabolic and digestive health as well as the immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ginger is a wildly popular culinary herb, and it also has medicinal properties. Herbalists use ginger to support blood sugar regulation, ease nausea, and support digestion (3). And ginger shows promise in easing morning sickness (4) and migraine (5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So while brews made with ginger bug are still treats, they're far better for you than regular soda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ginger Bug vs Ginger Beer Plant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don't confuse ginger bug and ginger beer plant. While they're both rich in probiotics and used to make natural sodas, they're two different things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ginger bugs are wild-fermented starter cultures that rely on the native yeast and bacteria of your kitchen to become bubbly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, ginger beer plants are a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) very similar to water kefir<\/a> and made primarily of the yeast Saccharomyces pyriformis and bacteria like Brevibacterium vermiforme (1). That SCOBY produces tiny, gelatinous crystals that you feed sugar water, lemon, and ginger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can make a ginger bug at home, but you must purchase a ginger beer plant. Or, at the very least, know someone who brews it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brewing Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n