Fermented Foods

You can eat some foods raw. Other foods you can expose to heat. But cooking with fire or peeling an orange are just the basics. If you’re curious about alternative ways to make food, you’ve got to try fermentation. Fermentation is a science experiment that’s good for you. Fermentation is Food 3.0. Not only that, but fermented food is delicious, and there’s more of it out there than you think!

Depending on your culture, you may already know a lot about fermented foods. If not, then prepare to expand your world!

Alcoholic beverages like wine and beer gain their intoxicating effects through fermentation, so if your culture embraces the party life, you’ve probably encountered fermentation quite a bit!

Fermentation adds acerbic complexity and depth to the flavor of your food, from the refreshingly zingy to the mouth-puckeringly sour.

The particular flavor your fermented food ends up with may depend on the species of microbe that’s helping you accomplish it, or how long that microbe has been left alone to thrive.

Maybe you’re still scratching your head about this whole fermentation concept. Do you really want to eat something made by germs?

Actually, yes you do! I’ll talk about how fermented food is good for your health later in this article, but for now, let’s get you excited about the concept. All of the following foods are fermented and fabulous:

Fermented Foods List

4. Kombucha. This fizzy tea has recently become a darling of health nuts worldwide. It probably originated somewhere in east Asia, possibly Manchuria, but nowadays you can find it on tap at many hip coffeehouses.

6. Sauerkraut. Historically, northern Europeans loved this stuff because it kept for ages without the need for refrigeration. Nowadays, people just like the taste!

8. Sourdough bread. In traditional sourdough bread, the dough is fermented prior to baking by the powerful yeast that the baker cultivates themselves. Accept no substitutes: without the fermentation process, sourdough bread just isn’t sour!

Fermentation started out as a great way to preserve food for a long time, which was important before refrigeration was invented.

Later, people kept eating fermented food because they liked the taste. But today, there’s a growing body of evidence that fermented food is actually very good for you.

When I mentioned that fermented food is generated by bacteria, you might have wondered if it contains any probiotics.

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