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Explain It Like I’m Five Years Old: What Exactly Is Fermentation

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Jonathon Engels, a long-time vegetarian turned vegan, is currently on a trip from Guatemala to... Read More

Fermented foods have gained popularity in recent years, with a particular interest in home fermenting. It’s part of a renaissance of self-reliance, a slow food coup in an age of fast food, and a nod to the notion of good bacteria being healthy. And, to many, it’s a part of the grand mystery of the kitchen: What exactly, they ask, is fermentation?

Too often, the answer to this question is a short list of famous fermented foods, say sauerkraut or yogurt. Of course, this isn’t so much an answer as it is a couple of examples of fermentation that might be familiar, if indeed, sauerkraut is something many of us are familiar with. But it doesn’t explain what makes cabbage into sauerkraut.

In this article, we are going to dare to delve deeper. We are going to look at what fermentation is. We are going to link fermentation to humans, noting its historical uses. We are going to distill a long list of foods, stuff we regularly consume, that require fermentation. And we’ll note why fermentation is worth such effort. Let’s go!

Different Types of Fermentation

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Fermentation is a biochemical reaction. It occurs when an organism, through a metabolic process, converts carbohydrates into either alcohol or acid. Scientifically, this all happens in an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment. Sounds pretty tasty so far, right?

There are different ways that this reaction occurs. Yeast can feed on sugar and convert it into alcohol, which is how we get wonderful things like beer, wine, whiskey, and so on. Bacteria can feed on starches in food to create lactic acid, which gives us things like vinegar, sourdough, and sauerkraut.

On the other end of things, animal digestive systems can convert carbohydrates into hydrogen-based gases, which are released via flatulence. Sewage systems, or anaerobic compost piles, can produce gas as well. Swamp gas, too, is created by this type of fermentation.

For now, let’s stick with fermentation for human consumption.

The Human History of Fermentation

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Humans have been using fermentation as a means of food and drink preparation since before human history was recorded. Its exact origins are unknown. Some believe fermentation was likely first observed via fruit juice or malted grain reacting with yeast to create alcohol. Others think accidentally fermented honey—mead—was likely the first ferment humans enjoyed.

Modern historians can date it back to shortly after agriculture became a thing. In Ancient China, rice wine dates back at least 6,000 years. Ancient Egyptians used it for turning grapes into wine and using wild yeast to make leavened bread. Swedes were fermenting fish for long-term storage around 8,000 years ago. In the Middle East, milk was being fermented, some say, as far back as 10,000 years ago.

Amazingly, humans were using fermentation regularly long before any of the science behind it was understood. And it was used in some form anywhere humans were. Then, in the mid-1800s, French chemist Louis Pasteur became the first zymologist, someone who studied the science of fermentation, and he discovered what was going on.

Common Products from Fermentation

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Fermentation is used to create many of the world’s favorite drinks and foods. Beer, wine, and spirits are all products of fermentation. Cheese, yogurt, and sour cream are all fermented. Chocolate and coffee undergo a fermentation process before becoming the chocolate and coffee we love. “Pickled” vegetables were once fermented, but now they are preserved in vinegar, which is produced via fermentation.

Then, there are fermented things that are popular culturally. Sauerkraut is wildly popular in Germany and Eastern European countries. Korea has a similar, though spicy, fermented cabbage dish called kimchi. Indonesia loves fermented soybeans in the form of tempeh. Miso is commonly used in Asian cuisine. Sourdough bread is made, in part, with fermented flour. Lots of hot sauces are fermented.

There are a host of fermented drinks enjoyed around the world, too. Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage. Kefir is another popular fermented drink. True ginger beer is fermented. Kvass, fermented beet juice, is popular in Russia. Hard cider is made through fermentation.

In other words, it’s much more than sauerkraut. We eat fermented foods all the time.

Benefits Fermentation Can Provide

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With fermentation defined a little more clearly, including its use throughout history and around the world, the next question might be why. Why do we continue to ferment foods? And there are several reasons.

Flavor Enhancement: Many foods simply taste better after undergoing the process of fermentation. Cacao and coffee are prime examples of this. Yogurt versus milk (even plant-based stuff) is another consideration.
Long-term Storage: Fresh vegetables have a very short shelf life, whereas, like canned foods, fermented foods can be stored for months and even years. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented pickles are all examples of this.
Nutrient Bioavailability: Many foods actually become more nutritious because they are fermented. Not only does the fermentation process provide healthy probiotics, but it also makes nutrients within certain foods, such as soybeans, more available to our bodies. Tempeh and miso are times when this is true.
Improved digestion: Fermented foods are “living foods” that have good bacteria in them. These good bacteria go down into our gut and help us digest food more readily. This really improves our overall health.

The draw to fermenting foods at home is that they have been processed or pasteurized, which can kill much of the beneficial bacteria we want from them.

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