New Favorite Condiment: Southern-Style Fermented Corn

Love those pickled onions you get at your favorite Mexican place? How about the escabeche of jalapeños and carrots? Well, I've got a new favorite condiment to lavish on tacos and in burritos, and scatter with abandon on egg dishes. This batch had garlic and those habanada peppers, but feel free to add any or none! I first heard about fermented corn from my friend Hank Shaw, who ran across it in a book titled "Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes" by Ronni Lundy. Smacking my head because—duh—it's an obvious, not to mention dead simple way to preserve fresh corn. I learned it's a classic Southern condiment called "sour corn," often served with beans after warming in bacon fat, according to Garden & Gun, and probably originated with Indigenous cooks, who still serve a soured corn drink to respected visitors and wedding guests. All you need is corn kernels sheared from their cob, salt and water. I add cloves of garlic and a hot pepper or two, and this year I fermented one batch…