A Fresh Start: Probiotic Drinks and Water Kimchi

Are you craving something fresh, light and healthy at the start of the year, after all the festive feasts—something that settles your stomach and keeps your mind alert? The beginning of a new year is an inspiring time to explore different ways of making probiotic drinks and to develop a new habit of adding live-culture drinks to your daily menu to regularly support the health of your gut microbiome.

In this workshop, we’ll explore the world of fermented probiotic drinks. We’ll talk about kombucha (tea mushroom drink), water and milk kefir, and fizzy drinks made with ginger bug. We’ll also look at different kinds of kali: traditional rye-bread kali and beet kali from Eastern Europe. We’ll discuss how all these drinks are made, why they are beneficial to your health, and how to make them successfully at home. And, of course, we’ll taste them all together!

For the hands-on part, we’ll make water kimchi, which is something between a food and a drink. Water kimchi is ready much faster than classic spicy cabbage kimchi. It is light on the body, keeps the mind alert and the stomach in order, yet is also highly aromatic and offers a real taste experience. Koreans value this gently fizzy, flavourful “broth” for its delicate taste and digestive benefits.

**Workshop contents**
- Explore a range of probiotic fermented drinks: kombucha (tea mushroom drink), water kefir, milk kefir, ginger bug drinks, rye kali, beet kali and water kimchi.
- Learn how these drinks are made, what care they need and how to ferment them successfully at home.
- Taste a variety of live fermented drinks together.
- Learn about the health benefits of fermented food and drinks, and how much and how often to consume them.
- In the practical session, learn to make your own water kimchi.

Each participant will take home 700 ml of freshly made water kimchi, which will continue fermenting at home. The ticket includes a digital handout with recipes.

**Workshop leader**
Liis Tuulberg is the founder of Metsik Toit and a longtime fermentation enthusiast who studied fermentation at Copenhagen’s Nordic Food Lab. For the past decade, she has devoted herself to the world of fermented foods and drinks. Metsik Toit offers workshops for professionals and home experimenters alike. Several exciting experiments are always fermenting in the Metsik Toit pantry: different kinds of miso, kimchi, krauts, all sorts of fermented vegetables, yogurts, probiotic drinks, craft vinegars and more. The most special shelf, however, is devoted to fermented local wild plants and foraged ingredients.

Metsik Toit
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**Location and parking**
The workshop takes place at Üks Maja (Valdeku tänav 66). Public transport: buses 14, 18 and 18A from the city centre, and bus 33 from Mustamäe. The bus stop is right next to the building. Parking is available in front of the building, behind the gate and in the courtyard.