---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical…"
description: "\"“As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical secrets. In two days, it will smell as agreeable as an old pillow still warm from night’s use. In five days ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg"
---

#  As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical secrets. In two…

![“As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical secrets. In two days, it will smell as agreeable as an old pillow still warm from night’s use. In five days it will smell like a horse run to foam. The odor will then lessen as the vegetable begins its tart transformation. It will be good to eat in two…” quote by Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg)

> ““As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical secrets. In two days, it will smell as agreeable as an old pillow still warm from night’s use. In five days it will smell like a horse run to foam. The odor will then lessen as the vegetable begins its tart transformation. It will be good to eat in two weeks, but at five weeks it will reach the zenith of its power, its taste a violin bow drawn across the tongue. After six weeks it will err slowly toward slime. Like hams and men, it gets better with age only to a point.””

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote describes the evolving aroma and flavor of fermenting cabbage, noting its peak and eventual decline.

**In simple terms:** Fermented cabbage improves then worsens over time.

Key Takeaway

Monitor fermentation and enjoy at peak.

Themes

food fermentation time flavor decay

Mood

curious reflective

Type

observational descriptive

When to use this quote

- home cooking
- pickling
- culinary experiments
- food preservation

Key Concepts

biochemistry microbial activity sensory perception

Questions to Reflect On

- When is the optimal time to consume a fermented food?
- How does aging affect different foods?

A Different Perspective

Taste and aroma can become unpleasant if fermentation is allowed to go too long.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ferments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferments-2091094/) [Ferments Kraut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferments-kraut-2363222/) [Kraut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kraut-2363224/) [Kraut Whispers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kraut-whispers-2363223/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/)

## Related quotes

> [And let me adde, that he that throughly understands the nature of Ferments and Fermentations, shall probably be much better able than he that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boyle/and-let-me-adde-that-he-that-throughly-understands-the-nature-of/)

[Robert Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-boyle/)

> [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [Love's mind of judgment rarely hath a taste: Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-mind-of-judgment-rarely-hath-a-taste-wings-and-no-eyes-figure/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Children must early learn the the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/children-must-early-learn-the-the-beauty-of-generosity-they-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [The worst thing for me is to not taste what I'm eating, to not know what I'm eating. It upsets me to no avail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-robuchon/the-worst-thing-for-me-is-to-not-taste-what-i-m-eating-to-not-know/)

[Joel Robuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-robuchon/)

> [“That is why I love Starbucks. It doesn't matter how much money you have or what social world you're from, chances are you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyra-davis/that-is-why-i-love-starbucks-it-doesn-t-matter-how-much-money-you/)

[Kyra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyra-davis/)

> [A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-difference-of-taste-in-jokes-is-a-great-strain-on-the-affections/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/)

[John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/)

> [Good taste ruins certain true spiritual values: such as taste itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/good-taste-ruins-certain-true-spiritual-values-such-as-taste-itself/)

[Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/)

> [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/)

[Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/)

> [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/)

[Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/)

> [“On the third day, she smelled the fruit as soon as she came in. She followed the scent to the kitchen, and the peach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/on-the-third-day-she-smelled-the-fruit-as-soon-as-she-came-in-she/)

[Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/)

> [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/)

[Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/)

## More by Eli Brown

> [“I now have some intimacy with death, and like the hops in a beer, it has both embittered and fortified me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/i-now-have-some-intimacy-with-death-and-like-the-hops-in-a-beer-it/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“The proper way is lost to me; my compass spins. I therefore give my entire attention to those works that seem to me most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/the-proper-way-is-lost-to-me-my-compass-spins-i-therefore-give-my/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“Some foods are so comforting, so nourishing of body and soul, that to eat them is to be home again after a long journey.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/some-foods-are-so-comforting-so-nourishing-of-body-and-soul-that-to/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“Such is the indomitable spirit of saffron that even after years stale on my chest, it brought the rice to life with flavor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/such-is-the-indomitable-spirit-of-saffron-that-even-after-years-stale/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“We are surrounded by monsters," she said. "We can cower before them or we can pick one and sink our teeth in with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/we-are-surrounded-by-monsters-she-said-we-can-cower-before-them-or-we/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“Never have I seen such a motley assemblage of characters. Except that we are at sea, I would believe that I had been abducted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/never-have-i-seen-such-a-motley-assemblage-of-characters-except-that/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“Without another word, we began to eat. I was hungry, but no appetite would excuse the way we set upon those dishes. We shoveled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/without-another-word-we-began-to-eat-i-was-hungry-but-no-appetite/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“He who writes our every story needs no annotation from me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/he-who-writes-our-every-story-needs-no-annotation-from-me/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“Men who long for the past are already dead. Look to the future, Owen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/men-who-long-for-the-past-are-already-dead-look-to-the-future-owen/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“It is no great secret that cooking is, in essence, seduction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/it-is-no-great-secret-that-cooking-is-in-essence-seduction/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“I write here all I can, yet cannot express the fatigue I collapse under each night, worn to the bone with worry. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/i-write-here-all-i-can-yet-cannot-express-the-fatigue-i-collapse/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“I made an attempt to reach him in his grief. I said, "I've had this pain. To tell you it will go away would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/i-made-an-attempt-to-reach-him-in-his-grief-i-said-i-ve-had-this-pain/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“The Roman pomp and raiment have fallen away, and I swear last the glory of washed feet and shared bread.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/the-roman-pomp-and-raiment-have-fallen-away-and-i-swear-last-the/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“A knight can fight. As you well know, I fight about as well as a pillow." "That's an insult to pillows. At least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/a-knight-can-fight-as-you-well-know-i-fight-about-as-well-as-a-pillow/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

> [“He smoked a pipe, and Laroche, who indulged in neither tobacco nor spirits, simply sat upright in his chair and looked toward the quince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/he-smoked-a-pipe-and-laroche-who-indulged-in-neither-tobacco-nor/)

[Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

[Explore all 21 Eli Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/)

## More Taste quotes

> [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/)

[Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/)

> [“On the third day, she smelled the fruit as soon as she came in. She followed the scent to the kitchen, and the peach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/on-the-third-day-she-smelled-the-fruit-as-soon-as-she-came-in-she/)

[Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/)

> [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/)

[Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/)

> [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/)

[Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/)

> [Good taste ruins certain true spiritual values: such as taste itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/good-taste-ruins-certain-true-spiritual-values-such-as-taste-itself/)

[Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/)

> [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/)

[John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/)

> [A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-difference-of-taste-in-jokes-is-a-great-strain-on-the-affections/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That is why I love Starbucks. It doesn't matter how much money you have or what social world you're from, chances are you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyra-davis/that-is-why-i-love-starbucks-it-doesn-t-matter-how-much-money-you/)

[Kyra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyra-davis/)

> [The worst thing for me is to not taste what I'm eating, to not know what I'm eating. It upsets me to no avail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-robuchon/the-worst-thing-for-me-is-to-not-taste-what-i-m-eating-to-not-know/)

[Joel Robuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-robuchon/)

> [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Children must early learn the the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/children-must-early-learn-the-the-beauty-of-generosity-they-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Love's mind of judgment rarely hath a taste: Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-mind-of-judgment-rarely-hath-a-taste-wings-and-no-eyes-figure/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“While taste conveys the complexity of life, a good chef should keep in mind that food can have a meaning that is often not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-m-kelby/while-taste-conveys-the-complexity-of-life-a-good-chef-should-keep-in/)

[N.M. Kelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-m-kelby/)

[Browse all 4,719 Taste quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical secrets. In two days, it will smell as agreeable as an old pillow still warm from night’s use. In five days it will smell like a horse run to foam. The odor will then lessen as the vegetable begins its tart transformation. It will be good to eat in two weeks, but at five weeks it will reach the zenith of its power, its taste a violin bow drawn across the tongue. After six weeks it will err slowly toward slime. Like hams and men, it gets better with age only to a point.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eli Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical-secrets-in-two-days-it-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Taste"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical-secrets-in-two-days-it-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/eli-brown-27141_taste_as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical_234214.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical secrets. In two days, it will smell as agreeable as an old pillow…” — Eli Brown",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Eli Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“As it ferments, kraut whispers alchemical...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical-secrets-in-two-days-it-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/as-it-ferments-kraut-whispers-alchemical-secrets-in-two-days-it-will/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
