Ancestral Ferments: A Living Rainbow with Darich Peréz-Reyes

Darich (pronounced “Dah-reach”) was born and raised in a town near the capital of Puerto Rico called Trujillo Alto. Based in New York, right now he’s traveling to and from Florida selling his ferments at markets along the way. He also teaches Fermentation Workshops and has Fermentation Dinners, where he serves a five-course meal with each dish featuring a different kind of fermentation. Not only does Darich serve as a Fermentation Revolutionary; seed saving, planting, maintaining, and harvesting are also a core component of Darich’s raison d’être. He claims that his grandmother, Roselia Gil Peréz, instilled in him much of this passion for plants, and I can tell from the way he speaks about her that he regards her with deep respect and love. He tells me that she is an amazing, “next level” gardener, cook, and herbal medicine woman. Beyond his grandmother’s initial inspiration, Darich has done his own research on and experimentation with both traditional foods and ferments of Puerto Rico and with those from the rest of the world. For Darich, experiencing different food traditions, especially those of his ancestors, helps him get closer to his true identity. “My identity through food becomes more rainbow the more I look at it. It only makes me feel closer to other traditions and cultures. I understand now that we are really just one family that has been separated into different cultures around the world, creating a beautiful quilt of traditions.”