Popular_Science_2020_Winter bookshq.net

NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR

where you live, you’ve almost certainly

eaten something fermented. Humans

have been processing food this way for

at least 13,000 years—since the earliest

porridge-like beer predecessor—and in

cuisines on every populated continent.

Microbes like bacteria and fungi flour-

ish when feeding off carbohydrates,

turning sugars into a wealth of new

chemicals like the carbon dioxide in

breads, the ethanol in alcoholic drinks,

and the lactic acid in dairy. The result

is a transformed food with qualities

ideal for human sustenance: prolonged

shelf life, better digestibility, and en-

riched nutritional and flavor profiles.

Here’s a sampling of foods that our

HANNAH SEO / MONA CHALABI

Brem

Mursik

Matzoon

Ryazhenka

Salami

Nem chua

Ngapi

Surströmming

Worcestershire

sauce

Bánh Cuôn

Sake

Japan

Indonesia

Vietnam

Katsuobushi

Skipjack tuna

Japan

Bagoóng

Fish, krill, or shrimp

Philippines

Fish sauce

Various fish

East Asia

Various fish or shrimp

Herring Burma

Sweden

Anchovies, grains, or tamarind
England

Pork

Vietnam

Pork

Italy

Yogurt

Milk

Global

Cow or goat milk

Kenya

Ayran

Milk

Central Asia, Middle East

Amasi

Milk

South Africa, Lesotho

Blaand

Milk whey

Scotland

Kefir

Milk

Eastern Europe,

Central Asia

Milk

Armenia

Milk

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine

Sour cream

Milk

Eastern Europe

Viili

Milk

Finland

Kumis

Donkey or horse milk

Central Asia

Rakfisk

Trout or char

Norway

Hákarl

Shark

Iceland

Igunaq/kopalhen

Walrus or other mammals

Arctic

NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR

where you live, you’ve almost certainly

eaten something fermented. Humans

have been processing food this way for

at least 10,000 years in cuisines on every

populated continent. Microbes like bac-

teria and fungi flourish when feeding

off carbohydrates, turning sugars into a

wealth of new chemicals like the carbon

dioxide in breads, ethanol in alcoholic

drinks, and lactic acid in dairy. The re-

sulting foods have qualities ideal for

human sustenance: prolonged shelf life,

better digestibility, and enriched nu-

tritional and flavor profiles. The buffet

below represents just a sampling of the

treats our species brines, brews, cures,

and cultures around the world.

POPSCI.COM / WINTER 2020 15

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