Momos, the little cream-coloured stuffed snack, unlike its size, has a complex history, one that is connected to a goddess, spans thousands of years, a hundred miles, numerous wars, exodus and yet, has always mesmerised anyone who has tasted this Himalayan treat.

Barely Researched Facts co-host, Shar Nair, dives into stories of fermentation experiments, its impact on local and global food systems, and recommendations of proportions and combinations in “non-recipes” with Payal Shah, self-styled Shepherd of Microbes and founder of Kobo Fermentary for this issue of Probably Relevant.

Since channelling her passion and setting up as a business in 2018, Payal has gained a steady following of first-time fermenters, enthusiasts, lurkers within the small but fervent fermentation community.

Read on for some fascinating insight into the history of fermentation from ancient Egypt to modern Japan as well as a jar of... ants?