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Fermentation (food)
 
 
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Fermentation in food processing
Food processing

Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for ingestion by humans or animals either in the home or by the food industry....
 typically refers to the conversion of sugar
Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many other sources....
 to alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
 using yeast
Yeast

Yeasts are eukaryote microorganisms classified in the Kingdom fungus, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans....
 under anaerobic
Anaerobic

Anaerobic is a technical word which literally means without air , as opposed to aerobic .In wastewater treatment the absence of oxygen is indicated as anoxic; and anaerobic is used to indicate the absence of a common electron acceptor such as nitrate, sulfate or oxygen....
 conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids. When fermentation stops prior to complete conversion of sugar to alcohol, a stuck fermentation
Stuck fermentation

A stuck fermentation occurs in winemaking when the yeast become dormant before the fermentation has completed. Unlike an "arrested fermentation" where the winemaker intentionally stops fermentation , a stuck fermentation is an unintentional and unwanted occurrence that can lead to the wine being spoiled by bacteria and oxidation....
 is said to have occurred. The science of fermentation is known as zymology.

Fermentation usually implies that the action of the microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to produce alcoholic beverages such as wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
, and cider
Cider

Cider is an alcoholic beverage usually made from the fermentation juice of apples, although pears are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apples....
.






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Encyclopedia


Fermentation in food processing
Food processing

Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for ingestion by humans or animals either in the home or by the food industry....
 typically refers to the conversion of sugar
Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many other sources....
 to alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
 using yeast
Yeast

Yeasts are eukaryote microorganisms classified in the Kingdom fungus, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans....
 under anaerobic
Anaerobic

Anaerobic is a technical word which literally means without air , as opposed to aerobic .In wastewater treatment the absence of oxygen is indicated as anoxic; and anaerobic is used to indicate the absence of a common electron acceptor such as nitrate, sulfate or oxygen....
 conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids. When fermentation stops prior to complete conversion of sugar to alcohol, a stuck fermentation
Stuck fermentation

A stuck fermentation occurs in winemaking when the yeast become dormant before the fermentation has completed. Unlike an "arrested fermentation" where the winemaker intentionally stops fermentation , a stuck fermentation is an unintentional and unwanted occurrence that can lead to the wine being spoiled by bacteria and oxidation....
 is said to have occurred. The science of fermentation is known as zymology.

Fermentation usually implies that the action of the microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to produce alcoholic beverages such as wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
, and cider
Cider

Cider is an alcoholic beverage usually made from the fermentation juice of apples, although pears are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apples....
. Fermentation is also employed in preservation to create lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
 in sour food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
s such as pickled cucumber
Pickled cucumber

A pickled cucumber, most often simply called a pickle in the United States and Canada, is a cucumber that has been Pickling in a brine, vinegar, or other solutions and left to ferment for a period of time....
s, kimchi
Kimchi

Kimchi, also spelled gimchi or kimchee, is a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings, most commonly referring to the spicy baechu variety....
 and yogurt
Yoghurt

Yoghurt, yogurt, yoghourt, youghurt or yogourt , is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk....
.

History

Since fruits ferment naturally, fermentation precedes human history. Since prehistoric times, however, humans have been controlling the fermentation process. The earliest evidence of winemaking dates from eight thousand years ago, in Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
, in the Caucasus
Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
 area. Seven-thousand-year-old jars of wine have been excavated in the Zagros Mountains
Zagros Mountains

The Zagros , are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq. They have a total length of 1 500 km from western Iran, on the border with Iraq to the southern parts of the Persian Gulf....
 in Iran, which are now on display at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
. There is strong evidence that people were fermenting beverages in Babylon
Babylon

Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
 circa 5000 BC, ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 circa 3150 BC, pre-Hispanic Mexico circa 2000 BC, and Sudan
Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
 circa 1500 BC. There is also evidence of leavened bread in ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 circa 1500 BC and of milk fermentation in Babylon circa 3000 BC. The Chinese were probably the first to develop vegetable fermentation.

French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 chemist Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur was a France chemist and microbiologist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of disease. His experiments supported the germ theory of disease, also reducing mortality from puerperal fever , and he created the first vaccine for rabies....
 was the first known zymologist, when in 1854 he connected yeast to fermentation. Pasteur originally defined fermentation as "respiration without air". Pasteur performed careful research and concluded;

The German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 Eduard Buchner
Eduard Buchner

Eduard Buchner was a Germany chemistry and Zymurgy, the winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fermentation ....
, winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize , established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Literature, and Nobel Peace Prize in 1901....
 in chemistry, later determined that fermentation was actually caused by a yeast secretion that he termed zymase
Zymase

Zymase is an enzyme complex that catalyzes glycolysis, the fermentation of sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide. As the conversion takes place, the reaction will gradually slow down....
.

Uses

The primary benefit of fermentation is the conversion of sugars and other carbohydrates, e.g., converting juice
Juice

Juice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or Maceration fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents....
 into wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, grains into beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
, carbohydrates into carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
 to leaven bread
Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by baking a dough of flour and water. It may be leavened or unleavened. Edible salt, fat and a leavening agent such as yeast are common ingredients, though bread may contain a range of other ingredients: milk, Egg , sugar, spice, fruit , vegetables , Nut or seeds ....
, and sugars in vegetables into preservative organic acids.

Food fermentation has been said to serve five main purposes:
  • enrichment of the diet through development of a diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures in food substrates.
  • preservation of substantial amounts of food through lactic acid, alcohol, acetic acid and alkaline fermentations.
  • biological enrichment of food substrates with protein, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, and vitamins.
  • detoxification during food-fermentation processing.
  • a decrease in cooking times and fuel requirements.


Fermentation has some uses exclusive to foods. Fermentation can produce important nutrients or eliminate antinutrients. Food can be preserved by fermentation, since fermentation uses up food energy and can make conditions unsuitable for undesirable microorganisms. For example, in pickling
Pickling

Pickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by Anaerobic organism fermentation in brine , to produce lactic acid bacteria, or marination and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar ....
 the acid produced by the dominant bacteria inhibit the growth of all other microorganisms. Depending on the type of fermentation, some products (e.g., fusel alcohol
Fusel alcohol

Fusel alcohols, also sometimes called fusel oils, or potato oil in Europe, are higher order alcohols formed by Fermentation and present in cider, mead, beer, wine, and Distilled beverage to varying degrees....
) can be harmful to people's health.

Stuck fermentation

A stuck fermentation is where a fermentation has stopped before completion; i.e., before the anticipated percentage of sugars has been converted by yeast into alcohol or carbohydrates into carbon dioxide.

Typically, a stuck fermentation may be caused by: 1) insufficient or incomplete nutrients required to allow the yeast to complete fermentation; 2) low temperatures, or temperature changes which have caused the yeast to stop working early; or 3) a percentage of alcohol which has grown too high for the particular yeast chosen for the fermentation.

Corrections to stuck fermentations may include: 1) repitching a different yeast 2) incorporation of nutrients in conjunction with the repitched yeast; 3) restoration of accommodative temperatures for the given yeast.

Fermented foods by region

Natto Mixed
* Worldwide: alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
, wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, vinegar
Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
, olives, yogurt, bread
Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by baking a dough of flour and water. It may be leavened or unleavened. Edible salt, fat and a leavening agent such as yeast are common ingredients, though bread may contain a range of other ingredients: milk, Egg , sugar, spice, fruit , vegetables , Nut or seeds ....
, cheese
Cheese

Cheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cattle, Water Buffalo, goats, or sheep's milk. It is produced by Coagulation of the milk protein casein....
  • Asia
    Asia

    Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
    • East
      East Asia

      East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
       and Southeast Asia
      Southeast Asia

      Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
      :       amazake
      Amazake

      is a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Amazake dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki....
      , asinan, bai-ming, belacan, burong mangga
      Burong mangga

      Burong mangga is a Philippines food made by mixing sugar, salt, and water to mango that have previously been salted. The mixture of water and sugar should be boiled first before pouring it onto the salted mangoes....
      , com ruou, dalok, doenjang
      Doenjang

      Doenjang is a traditional Korean fermentation soybean paste. Its name literally means "thick paste" in Korean language....
      , douchi
      Douchi

      Douchi, also called Chinese fermented black beans, is a flavoring most popular in the cuisine of China, and is used to make black bean sauce....
      , jeruk, lambanog, kimchi
      Kimchi

      Kimchi, also spelled gimchi or kimchee, is a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings, most commonly referring to the spicy baechu variety....
      , kombucha
      Kombucha

      Kombucha is the Western name for sweetened tea or tisane that has been fermentation using a macroscopic solid mass of microorganisms called a "kombucha colony"....
      , leppet-so, narezushi
      Sushi

      In Japanese cuisine, is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients, including fish dishes. In Japan, sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi and is distinct from sushi, as sashimi is the raw fish component, not the rice component....
      , miang, miso
      Miso

      is a traditional Japanese cuisine produced by fermentation rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus , the most typical miso being made with soy....
      , nata de coco
      Nata de coco

      Nata de coco is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the bacterial fermentation of coconut water. Nata de coco is most commonly sweetened as a candy or dessert, and can accompany many things including Picklings, drinks, ice cream, puddings and fruit mixes....
      , nata de pina, natto
      Natto

      is a traditional Japanese cuisine made from fermentation soybeans, popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein, natto and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in History of Japan#Feudal_Japan_.2812th_-_19th_century.29....
      , naw-mai-dong, pak-siam-dong, paw-tsaynob in snow, prahok
      Prahok

      File:Fried Prahok meal.jpgPrahok?? is a crushed, salted and fermentation ed fish paste that is used in Cambodian cuisine as a seasoning or a condiment ....
      , ruou nep, sake
      Sake

      Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice.This beverage is called sake in English, but in Japanese language, sake or Honorific speech in Japanese refers to alcoholic drinks in general....
      , seokbakji, soy sauce
      Soy sauce

      Soy sauce , soya sauce , or shoyu is a fermentation sauce made from soybeans , roasted cereal, water and Sodium chloride. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years....
      , stinky tofu
      Stinky tofu

      Stinky tofu is a form of fermentation tofu, which, as the name suggests, has a strong odor. It is a popular snack in East Asia and Southeast Asia, particularly Taiwan, Indonesia, and China, where it is usually found at night markets or roadside stands, or as a side dish in lunch bars....
      , szechwan cabbage, tai-tan tsoi, chiraki, tape, tempeh
      Tempeh

      Tempeh, or tempe in Javanese language, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form....
      , totkal kimchi, yen tsai, zha cai
      Zha cai

      Zha cai is a type of Pickling mustard stem originating from Sichuan, China. Other transliterations might include cha tsai, tsa tsai ; or jar choy, jar choi, ja choi, ja choy, or cha tsoi ....
    • Central Asia
      Central Asia

      Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south....
      :       kumis
      Kumis

      Kumis is a Fermented milk products traditionally made from mare milk. The drink remains important to the people of the Central Asian steppes, including the Turkish people, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Yakuts and Uzbeks....
       (mare milk), kefir
      Kefir

      Kefir is a Fermentation milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating Cattle, goat, or sheep's milk with kefir grains....
      , shubat (camel milk)
    • India
      India

      India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
      :       achar
      Achar

      The term achar has a number of possible meanings:*Achar, the Hindi word for a variety of Indian pickle Also known as Charr*Achan , also called Achar, a figure mentioned by the Book of Joshua in connection with the fall of Jericho and conquest of Ai....
      , appam
      Appam

      Appam , or hoppers, are a type of food in Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine. It is called Appam in Kerala and Aappam in Tamil Nadu and, Paddu or Gulle Eriyappa in Kannada....
      , dosa
      Dosa

      The Dosa or Dosai is a South Indian culture#Cuisine delicacy made from rice and urad s. Dosai is a typical South Indian food, eaten for breakfast or dinner, and is rich in carbohydrates and protein....
      , dhokla
      Dhokla

      Dhokla is a fast food from the India state of Gujarat....
      , dahi (yogurt), gundruk
      Gundruk

      Gundruk is a popular food in Nepal and also claimed to be one of the national foods. The annual production of gundruk in Nepal is estimated at 2,000 tons and most of the production is carried out at the household level....
      , idli
      Idli

      The idli , also romanized "idly" or "iddly" and plural "idlis", is a savory cake popular throughout South Indian cuisine. The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented urad s and rice....
      , mixed pickle
      Mixed pickle

      Mixed pickles are pickles made from a variety of vegetables mixed together in the same pickling process. Mixed pickles are eaten much like other pickles: in small amounts to add flavor and to accent a meal....
  • Africa
    Africa

    Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
    :     fermented millet porridge, garri
    Garri

    Gari or Garri is a popular West African food made from cassava tubers. The spelling 'gari' is mainly used in Nigeria , Cameroon and Ghana.....
    , hibiscus
    Hibiscus

    Scientific name:Hibiscus rosa-sinensisThe Genus Hibiscus comprises plants also commonly called hibiscus and less widely known as rosemallow....
     seed, hot pepper sauce, injera
    Injera

    Injera or taita is a pancake-like bread made out of teff flour. It is traditionally eaten in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia , Yemen, and by the Nuer people of Sudan....
    , lamoun makbouss, laxoox
    Laxoox

    Laxoox or Canjeero is a pancake-like bread eaten in Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen. It was also brought to the Israeli cuisine by Yemenite Jews....
    , mauoloh, msir, mslalla, oilseed, ogi
    Ogi (cereal ferment)

    Ogi is a fermentation cereal porridge from West Africa, typically made from maize, sorghum, or millet. Traditionally, the grains are soaked in water for up to three days, before wet milling and sieving to remove husks....
    , ogili, ogiri
    Ogiri

    Ogiri is a flavoring made of fermentation oil seeds, such as sesame seeds or egusi seeds. The process and product are similar to iru or douchi. Its smell is like cheese, miso, or stinky tofu....
  • Americas
    Americas

    The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
    :     chicha
    Chicha

    Chicha is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermentation, particularly those derived from maize, but which also describes similar non-alcoholic beverage beverages....
    , elderberry wine, kombucha
    Kombucha

    Kombucha is the Western name for sweetened tea or tisane that has been fermentation using a macroscopic solid mass of microorganisms called a "kombucha colony"....
    , pickling
    Pickling

    Pickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by Anaerobic organism fermentation in brine , to produce lactic acid bacteria, or marination and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar ....
     (pickled vegetables), sauerkraut
    Sauerkraut

    File:Kiszona kapusta.JPGSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermentation by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus....
    , lupin
    Lupin

    Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the genus Lupinus in the legume family . The genus comprises between 200-600 species, with major centers of diversity in South America and western North America - ) and - in the Mediterranean region and Africa....
     seed, oilseed, chocolate
    Chocolate

    Chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree.Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world....
    , vanilla
    Vanilla

    Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Etymologically, vanilla derives from the Spanish language word "", little pod....
    , tabasco
    Tabasco sauce

    Tabasco sauce is a brand of hot sauce made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor and is popular in many parts of the world....
    , tibicos
    Tibicos

    Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria....
  • Middle East
    Middle East

    File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
    :     kushuk, lamoun makbouss, mekhalel, torshi, boza
    Boza

    Boza is a popular fermented beverage in Turkey, Albania, Bulgarian cuisine, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, parts of Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and also Poland and Lithuania....
  • Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
    :     rakfisk
    Rakfisk

    Rakfisk is a traditional eastern Norway fish recipe made from trout or sometimes Salvelinus, salted and fermentation for two to three months, then eaten without cooking....
    , sauerkraut
    Sauerkraut

    File:Kiszona kapusta.JPGSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermentation by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus....
    , ogórek kiszony, surströmming
    Surströmming

    Surstr?mming is a northern Swedish cuisine dish consisting of fermentation Baltic herring. Surstr?mming is sold in cans, which often bulge during shipping and storage....
    , mead
    Mead

    Mead is a typically alcoholic beverage beverage, made from honey and water via Fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine....
    , elderberry wine, salami
    Salami

    Salami is Curing sausage, fermentation and air-dried. Historically, salami has been popular among Italian peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for periods of up to a year, supplementing a possibly meager or inconsistent supply of fresh meat....
    , prosciutto
    Prosciutto

    Prosciutto is the Italian language word for ham . In English language the word is almost always used for an aged, dry-Curing , spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served uncooked....
    , cultured milk
    Fermented milk products

    Fermented milk products, also known as cultured dairy foods, cultured dairy products, or cultured milk products, are dairy foods that have been fermented with lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Leuconostoc....
     products such as quark, kefir
    Kefir

    Kefir is a Fermentation milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating Cattle, goat, or sheep's milk with kefir grains....
    , filmjölk
    Filmjölk

    Filmj?lk is a Sweden mesophilic fermented milk product that is made by fermenting cow's milk with a variety of bacteria from the species Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides....
    , crème fraîche
    Crème fraîche

    Cr?me fra?che , of France origin, is the Western European counterpart to the soured cream more traditional to Western Europe and Anglophone cultures....
    , smetana, skyr
    Skyr

    Skyr is an Icelandic cultured Milk, similar to strained yoghurt, though technically Skyr is a very soft cheese. It is said to have originally come from Norway, brought to Iceland by the Norwegian Vikings, but is currently unique to Icelandic cuisine....
    .
  • Oceania
    Oceania

    Oceania is a geography, often geopolitics, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
    :     poi
    Poi (food)

    Poi is a Hawaiian language word for the primary Polynesian staple food made from the corm of the kalo plant . Poi is produced by mashing the cooked corm to a highly viscous fluid....
    , kaanga pirau (rotten corn), sago


Fermented foods by type


Bean-based

cheonggukjang
Cheonggukjang

Cheonggukjang is a fermented soybean paste used in Korean cuisine. It contains whole as well as ground soy beans....
(???), doenjang
Doenjang

Doenjang is a traditional Korean fermentation soybean paste. Its name literally means "thick paste" in Korean language....
(??), miso
Miso

is a traditional Japanese cuisine produced by fermentation rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus , the most typical miso being made with soy....
 (??(??)), natto
Natto

is a traditional Japanese cuisine made from fermentation soybeans, popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein, natto and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in History of Japan#Feudal_Japan_.2812th_-_19th_century.29....
(??(????)), soy sauce
Soy sauce

Soy sauce , soya sauce , or shoyu is a fermentation sauce made from soybeans , roasted cereal, water and Sodium chloride. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years....
, stinky tofu
Stinky tofu

Stinky tofu is a form of fermentation tofu, which, as the name suggests, has a strong odor. It is a popular snack in East Asia and Southeast Asia, particularly Taiwan, Indonesia, and China, where it is usually found at night markets or roadside stands, or as a side dish in lunch bars....
(???), tempeh
Tempeh

Tempeh, or tempe in Javanese language, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form....


Grain-based

amazake
Amazake

is a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Amazake dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki....
, beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
, bread
Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by baking a dough of flour and water. It may be leavened or unleavened. Edible salt, fat and a leavening agent such as yeast are common ingredients, though bread may contain a range of other ingredients: milk, Egg , sugar, spice, fruit , vegetables , Nut or seeds ....
, choujiu
Choujiu

Choujiu is a type of Chinese Fermentation alcoholic beverage brewed from glutinous rice. It is very thick and has a milky white color, which is sometimes compared to jade....
, gamju
Gamju

Gamju or dansul is a Korean wine, made from rice fermented with yeast-cake. Because its fermentation is incomplete, its alcohol content is relatively low....
(??), injera
Injera

Injera or taita is a pancake-like bread made out of teff flour. It is traditionally eaten in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia , Yemen, and by the Nuer people of Sudan....
, makgeolli, ogi
Ogi (cereal ferment)

Ogi is a fermentation cereal porridge from West Africa, typically made from maize, sorghum, or millet. Traditionally, the grains are soaked in water for up to three days, before wet milling and sieving to remove husks....
, sake
Sake

Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice.This beverage is called sake in English, but in Japanese language, sake or Honorific speech in Japanese refers to alcoholic drinks in general....
, sikhye
Sikhye

Sikhye is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert. In addition to its liquid ingredients, sikhye also contains grains of cooked rice, and in some cases pine nuts....
, sourdough
Sourdough

Sourdough refers to the process of leavening agent bread by capturing wild yeasts in a dough or batter, as opposed to using a domestic, purpose-cultured yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae....
, rice wine, Malt whisky, grain whisky, Vodka
Vodka

Vodka is a distilled beverage. It is a clear liquid which consists of mostly water and ethanol purified by distillation ? often multiple distillation ? from a Fermentation substance, such as cereal , potatoes or sugar beet molasses, and an insignificant amount of other substances such as flavorings or unintended impurities....
, batter
Batter (cooking)

Batter is a liquid mixture, usually based on one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or beer. egg is also a common component....


Vegetable-based

kimchi
Kimchi

Kimchi, also spelled gimchi or kimchee, is a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings, most commonly referring to the spicy baechu variety....
(??), mixed pickle
Mixed pickle

Mixed pickles are pickles made from a variety of vegetables mixed together in the same pickling process. Mixed pickles are eaten much like other pickles: in small amounts to add flavor and to accent a meal....
, sauerkraut
Sauerkraut

File:Kiszona kapusta.JPGSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermentation by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus....


Fruit-based

wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, vinegar
Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
, cider
Cider

Cider is an alcoholic beverage usually made from the fermentation juice of apples, although pears are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apples....
, brandy
Brandy

Brandy is a distilled_beverage produced by Distillation wine, the wine having first been produced by Fermentation grapes. Brandy contains 36%?60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink....


Honey-based

mead
Mead

Mead is a typically alcoholic beverage beverage, made from honey and water via Fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine....
, metheglin

Dairy-based

cheese
Cheese

Cheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cattle, Water Buffalo, goats, or sheep's milk. It is produced by Coagulation of the milk protein casein....
, kefir
Kefir

Kefir is a Fermentation milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating Cattle, goat, or sheep's milk with kefir grains....
, kumis
Kumis

Kumis is a Fermented milk products traditionally made from mare milk. The drink remains important to the people of the Central Asian steppes, including the Turkish people, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Yakuts and Uzbeks....
 (mare milk), shubat (camel milk), cultured milk
Fermented milk products

Fermented milk products, also known as cultured dairy foods, cultured dairy products, or cultured milk products, are dairy foods that have been fermented with lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Leuconostoc....
 products such as quark, filmjölk
Filmjölk

Filmj?lk is a Sweden mesophilic fermented milk product that is made by fermenting cow's milk with a variety of bacteria from the species Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides....
, crème fraîche
Crème fraîche

Cr?me fra?che , of France origin, is the Western European counterpart to the soured cream more traditional to Western Europe and Anglophone cultures....
, smetana, skyr
Skyr

Skyr is an Icelandic cultured Milk, similar to strained yoghurt, though technically Skyr is a very soft cheese. It is said to have originally come from Norway, brought to Iceland by the Norwegian Vikings, but is currently unique to Icelandic cuisine....
, yogurt

Fish-based

bagoong, faseekh, fish sauce
Fish sauce

Fish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to fermentation . It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces....
, Hákarl
Hákarl

H?karl or k?stur h?karl is a food from Iceland. It is a Greenland shark or basking shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for 4-5 months....
, heshiko, hidal khunda, jeotgal
Jeotgal

Jeotgal or jeot is a salted fermentation food in Korean cuisine. It is made with various seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, shellfish, fish, roe, and fish intestines....
, rakfisk
Rakfisk

Rakfisk is a traditional eastern Norway fish recipe made from trout or sometimes Salvelinus, salted and fermentation for two to three months, then eaten without cooking....
, shrimp paste
Shrimp paste

File:Shrimp.paste-Belachan-01.jpgFile:Drying shrimp paste.jpgShrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asia and Southern Chinese cuisine....
, surströmming
Surströmming

Surstr?mming is a northern Swedish cuisine dish consisting of fermentation Baltic herring. Surstr?mming is sold in cans, which often bulge during shipping and storage....


Meat-based

salami
Salami

Salami is Curing sausage, fermentation and air-dried. Historically, salami has been popular among Italian peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for periods of up to a year, supplementing a possibly meager or inconsistent supply of fresh meat....
, prosciutto
Prosciutto

Prosciutto is the Italian language word for ham . In English language the word is almost always used for an aged, dry-Curing , spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served uncooked....


Risks of consuming fermented foods

Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
, despite its small population, has witnessed a steady increase of cases of botulism
Botulism

Botulism also known as "Botulinus Intoxication," is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulin toxin. The toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum....
 since 1985. It has more cases of botulism than anywhere else in the United States of America. This is caused by the traditional Eskimo
Eskimo

Eskimos or Esquimaux are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska and Canada, and all of Greenland ....
 practice of allowing animal products such as whole fish, fish heads, walrus
Walrus

The walrus is a large pinniped marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere....
, sea lion
Sea Lion

For other uses of the term "sea lion", see Sea lion .Sea lions are any of seven species in six genera of modern pinnipeds including one extinct ....
 and whale
Whale

Whales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphinsmembers, in other words, of the families Oceanic dolphin or River dolphinnor porpoises....
 flippers, beaver
Beaver

Beavers are two primarily nocturnal, semi-aquatic species of rodent, one native to North America and one to Eurasia. They are known for building dams, canals, and lodges ....
 tails, seal oil, birds, etc., to ferment for an extended period of time before being consumed. The risk is exacerbated when a plastic container is used for this purpose instead of the old-fashioned method, a grass-lined hole, as the botulinum
Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive, rod shaped bacteria that produces the neurotoxin botulin, which causes the flaccid muscular paralysis seen in botulism....
 bacteria thrive in the anaerobic conditions created by the plastic.

See also


External links