If you happen to be wandering near the Monestir, why not take a little detour and go down past the Casa de Cultura and around the corner to where the Fermenteria Smakelig sits? It might look normal on the outside but in this modest space, entire universes are growing! Microscopic ones, yes, but ones that can change how we eat, feel and even think. Behind the giant jars of kombucha, trays of koji-covered grains and refrigerated shelves of fermenting vegetables is a story that begins in Kazakhstan, passes through Ukraine and Norway, and eventually finds its home here in Sant Cugat.
Smakelig (Dutch for ‘delicious’) is the creation of Mariia, (originally from Ukraine), and her husband Joachim (from Norway). Together, they form a duo in which Mariia leads the flavour, philosophy and science, while Joachim supplies the practical foundations – literally. “He found the space, he built it, he made it possible,” she says. “Without him it would still just be an idea.” After years living in Spain, the pair settled in Sant Cugat for the same reason many internationals do: its sense of community, its slow living, and its openness to new ideas.
But the Smakelig story stretches much further back.
Mariia grew up surrounded by fermented foods. Her grandmother kept a jar of kombucha (“that jellyfish thing”) in the kitchen, always on the go. She brought the tradition with her from her family in Kazakhstan. Before kombucha became fashionable, before it appeared on trendy menus, its roots had already shaped her. Years later, studies in nutrition deepened her fascination. Not just with flavours, but with how food changes us – our mood, our behaviour, our health. “When I realised fermentation is central to therapeutic food and recovery food,” she explains, “something clicked.” From there, one curiosity led to another: microbiome research, kombucha experiments, kefirs, kvass, and eventually a previous attempt to establish a fermentation line inside a Barcelona eco-store. Unfortunately, that project didn’t work out. But like all good experiments, setbacks can become catalysts. The disappointment pushed her toward creating something that was truly her own. Something she and Joachim could build together.
It turned out that Sant Cugat was the perfect place. “We wanted a place with an international community, where people are open, curious, and willing to try new things,” Mariia says. “I knew when we moved here that this would eventually be the home for my project.” Inside the fermenteria, everything that enters the kitchen (vegetables, grains, eggs, fruit, herbs) has the potential to be transformed. Mariia ferments almost anything she can get her hands on.
Anything, that is, except soya: “We’re not friends,” she laughs. Even meat goes through a metamorphosis using koji, a Japanese fungus from the Aspergillus family that’s responsible for miso, sake and many Asian staples. Applied to meat, it breaks down proteins, softens textures and amplifies that yummy umami flavour. Fermenting meat may be surprising to most of us, but in Mariia’s hands, surprise is the starting point for a new product. If you ask her to choose a favourite ferment, she struggles. How do you choose between fermented asparagus, celery or a jar of aromatic, herb-infused kombucha? Liquids, perhaps, have a special place in her heart. “I feel deeply connected to fermenting liquids… lemonades, bitters, kvass,” she says. With liquids, creativity becomes infinite: flowers, spices, leaves, roots – everything is potential inspiration.
But Smakelig is far more than a production space. It is a philosophy. As Mariia insists… fermentation is not just a kitchen technique. “It’s a community process,” she explains. “Traditionally, people fermented together. You make five kilos or fifteen, the time is the same. You wait the same 21 days. So why do it alone?” In her vision, Fermenteria Smakelig becomes a modern community hub: a place to learn, share, taste, and reconnect with the slow rhythm of life. To this end, workshops are coming soon. Dates are not yet confirmed, but ideas are in preparation:
Kimchi workshops, teaching not only the recipe but the underlying technique that unlocks unlimited variations.
Liquid fermentation workshops, for those who want to explore kombucha alternatives such as water kefir or ginger bug sodas.
Koji workshops, revealing the mysteries of this extraordinary Japanese fungus – how it grows, how it flavours, and why it’s transforming the culinary world.
And beyond workshops lies a much bigger dream. “In ten years,” she says with a smile, “I want to create a fermentation retreat. A place where people come to learn, eat fermented foods, maybe even take fermented baths.” Baths? Yes. Traditional practices in several cultures involve adding ferments to the bathwater to nourish the skin’s microbiome. But don’t panic – you won’t have to soak for 21 days. Twenty minutes is plenty.
Perhaps the most unexpected part of our conversation is how deeply fermentation shapes Mariia’s approach to life. When she needs to think something through, she says, “I need to ferment on it.” Ideas (just like food) need time, conditions, and attention. “We’re not getting old,” she says. “We’re just fermenting into something.” As we finish the interview, jars quietly fizzing around us, it’s easy to see why Smakelig is becoming one of Sant Cugat’s quirkiest and most inspiring new projects. In a town already known for “slow living,” fermentation feels like the natural next step.
Mariia’s message to our readers is simple: “Time is our main quality ingredient. Don’t rush your own fermentation.”
