Microscopic organisms - our ancestors and allies - transform food and extend its usefulness. Fermentation is found throughout human cultures.
Hundreds of medical and scientific studies confirm what folklore has always known: Fermented foods help people stay healthy.
Many of your favorite foods and drinks are probably fermented. For instance: Bread, Cheese, Wine, Beer, Mead, Cider, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Pickles, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Miso, Tempeh, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha.
This site is maintained by Sandor Ellix Katz, aka Sandorkraut. I am a fermentation fetishist.
I have been fermenting for 13 years and wrote a book called Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. My mission with this website is to propel more live-culture foods out into our culture. Please feel free to contact me. I am on the lookout for opportunities to demonstrate simple fermentation techniques, and spread the word about the glorious nutritional and healing powers of live fermented foods, in workshop settings and other venues (see Upcoming Workshops and Demonstrations). I am happy to try my best to provide troubleshooting for home fermentation experiments (see Fermentation Troubleshooting Q&A).