Food fermentation is the process of food processing that we might call “food spoilage control”. Fermentation preserves food, including meat, vegetables, and fruits. This is the oldest technology that uses changes that occur under the influence of enzymes produced by fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. It eliminates natural toxins and chemicals contained in food, thanks to which the product is safe for consumption for a long time. As a result of fermentation, food products retain their nutritional value, increase their taste and aroma, enrich and diversify the daily diet.

In addition to bread, cheese and alcoholic beverages, the most popular fermented foods are:

1. Sauerkraut – Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Vitamin K, rich in dietary fiber, is a source of calcium, sodium, manganese, copper, magnesium and iron.
2. Kimchi (from pickled or fermented vegetables) – vitamins A, C, E, K, B, and is a source of minerals such as potassium, magnesium and phosphorous.
3. Tempeh (a traditional product of Indian cuisine made from soybeans using fermentation) – a product with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3, a source of fiber, vitamins B1, B2, B3, folic acid, B 6, B12. Tempeh is a source of potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorous, copper and zinc.
4. Fermented milk drinks such as yogurt, kefir, vitamin B7, B9, B12, K, calcium, magnesium, enzymes and probiotics.
5. Kombucha (a black tea drink fermented with cane sugar, fruit, or honey).

Health benefits of fermented foods:

1. The bacteria that live in the intestines strengthen the immune system.
2. Fermented foods reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. It cleans the blood.
4. affect weight loss.
5. Protects the digestive system during antibiotic treatment.
6. Facilitates and calms digestion.
7. Improves memory and concentration.
8. It has anti-allergic and anti-carcinogenic properties.
9. Supports the functioning of the pancreas.
10. Strengthens the immune system.
11. Increases absorption of vitamins and minerals.
12. Prevents intestinal obstruction.
13. Reduces the severity of diarrhea, flatulence, flatulence and constipation.

Application in the kitchen.

Fermented products can be eaten raw or after heat treatment (cooking, baking, frying, grilling). Eat as a stand-alone dish or as an addition to sauces, soups, stews, tortillas, wraps, kebabs, salads, sandwiches, and grilled or pulled meats. Pickled and blended fruits and vegetables are an addition to cocktails.

Historical curiosity.

1. From 500 BC, the Chinese used rotting soybean curd as an antibiotic for boils. This is the first documented use of fermented foods as medicine.
2. In ancient Greece, brine was used to extend the shelf life of fish.
3. The ancient Romans experimented with yeast in fermenting dough, to ferment bread, they soaked pork.
4. Pickled cucumbers were known in 2000 BC. They come from Wadi Tigris, now Iraq.
5. Yogurt is over 3000 years old and probably comes from India.
6. More than 8000 years ago, primitive beer was produced by the fermentation process.
7. Archaeological research confirms that about 10,000 years ago, alcoholic beverages were obtained through the natural fermentation of rice, grapes, figs and dates. They were made in ancient China, Persia, and Egypt.
8. Kefir is a fermented milky sour drink. Its Turkish name keyif means “I feel good”. It was known since 10.000 BC in the region of the Caucasus Mountains. Fermented dairy is the most probiotic dairy product.

strange dishes.

1. Recently, kombucha, that is, tea brewed with sugar and scoby mushrooms, has become popular.
2. Among the exotic pickled keviac, the raw meat of a seabird in a sophisticated state of decomposition, is a traditional delicacy of Greenlanders. Auks are plucked from their feathers, wrapped in seal leather, covered with earth or covered with a stone. It is stored in this way for several weeks or months (up to six months). After a certain period, it is eaten raw with bones. Kevak has a strong foul odor.
3. Another exotic dish is hongyo-hall, a type of fermented fish dish made from Baltic (Sweden) herring. The fermented fish dish has a very strong ammonia-like smell (Korea).
4. Salted, dried, and fermented kosaya is a Japanese-style fish that has a pungent aroma similar to pickled Swedish herring.