Koji & Tsukemono: the Art of Fermented Pickles

Date & Time
--- Session 1: January 24th, 2026 (Sat) 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
--- Session 2: January 25th, 2026 (Sun) 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Location Nieuwe Instituut - Studio
Duration 90 min.
Fee €95 (includes workshop participation + admission to the MONO JAPAN Fair 2026)
Max. participants 8 participants per session
Ticket sales
--- Session 1: End on January 22nd (Thu), 11:59 PM
--- Session 2: Ends on January 23rd (Fri), 11:59 PM

PLEASE NOTE

• Workshop tickets include admission to the MONO JAPAN Fair 2026 (no additional purchase of an entrance ticket is required).
• We warmly invite you to make the most of your visit by exploring the Supernova Hotel and the rest of the Nieuwe Instituut before and/or after the workshop! For details about the fair, visit here.

About this workshop

Koji — the living culture behind miso, soy sauce, and sake — also brings a gentle depth to pickles. This hands-on workshop explores how this ancient Japanese ferment transforms seasonal vegetables into flavourful tsukemono.

Participants will learn traditional techniques ranging from quick pickling to slow preservation, using umami-rich ingredients such as miso, shoyu, sake lees, amazake, and kombu in harmony with local produce. Taste, create, and prepare several small batches of your own koji pickles to take home — each carrying its own aroma, texture, and story of fermentation.

About Malica Ferments

Malica Ferments is a travelling and evolving community dedicated to learning, sharing, and celebrating the art of fermentation and Washoku — the traditional Japanese art of making miso, shoyu, mirin, sake, vinegar, and all that is born from koji.

The organisation focuses on teaching authentic Japanese fermentation with deep respect for Aspergillus oryzae — the noble mould — and other strains that have supported the food culture, history, and daily life across Japan and its neighbouring regions.

Its mission is to inspire mindful eating: to enjoy local, whole, and living foods as a path toward harmony between people, microbes, and the environment.

Malica Ferments
Website l Instagram

Visit here for more information about the MONO JAPAN Fair 2026.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Nieuwe Instituut, 25 Museumpark, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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