Fermentation Confusion Many people get confused because when they think of fermentation, they think of the apples that go bad in the garage when you don't eat them fast enough.
But there are several different types of fermentation and each type produces a different result.
Fortunately, when done under controlled conditions, the product is much tastier than the twangy apples in the garage.
With A Yeasty Twist The most common process that we usually think of is what happens in the creation of beer and wine.
In this process grains or fruits are aged in specific ways along with the addition of yeast, which turns the sugars to alcohol.
Of course, these are not only highly desirable for their taste, but also for their alcohol content.
Special Bacteria The other process that we have all grown up with is the lacto fermentation of milk.
This culturing converts the sugar in the milk to lactic acid by adding special bacteria to the mix and aging it at the proper temperature.
The end product is yogurt, or kefir.
Kefir is different from yogurt in that kefir grains are use, which are a mixture of bacteria and yeast.
This not only gives kefir a beneficial yeast content, but a very different blend of bacteria that yogurt doesn't have.
And the yeast also adds some alcohol to the mix.
Subtract The Milk And Add The Veggies The final process is used to ferment veggies.
It is lacto fermentation too, but a variation on the cultured milk.
A salt brine and sometimes some whey are added to vegetables to promote lactic acid and friendly bacteria which preserves them.
This gives them a distinctive taste and incredible digestive tract benefits.
Many Faces For Many Reasons So fermentation takes on many faces, each of them produced for a different purpose or flavor.
And each one has been perfected by thousands of years of practice to go far beyond the twangy apple in the garage.