Sandor Katz claims that fermentation rivals fire in its importance for humanity. Fermentation seems to be universally practice in all human cultures. A third of all our food is produced by fermentation, including: - coffee - chocolate - vanilla - bread - cheese - wine and beer - yoghurt - ketchup and most condiments - vinegar - soy sauce - miso - some teas - corned beef and pastrami - prosciutto and salami Lactofermentation is done by lactobacilli that are already present in vegetables, such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus brevis, and Lactobacillus plantarum. They are halophilic (salt-tolerant) anaerobes, and thrive in the salty, airless environment of the brine. They eat the sugars in the vegetables and release lactic acid, which kills their competitors. Like succession in a forest ecosystem, each species of bacteria creates a more acidic environment and paves the way for the next species to take over. This culminates in L. plantarum, which loves the low pH environment. Oxygen is the enemy of fermentation. The earliest fermentation was done in pits dugs into the earth, lined with leaves, and filled with various foodstuffs. The earth kept the temperature low and steady. Fermentation would begin within days, and could preserve food for months. In the 1980s, a 300-year-old fermentation pit was discovered in Fiji. The breadfruit in it was still edible. --- Source: [[Reference Notes/Cooked|Cooked]]