What Are Naturally Fermented Foods? Why are naturally fermented foods healthy?

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what naturally fermented foods are and why they’re healthy.

 

As Korea has become more economically prosperous, there has been a growing interest in eating healthier foods that are not just about satisfying hunger. Recently, slow food has been gaining popularity as a healthy food, and natural yeast bread, one of the slow foods, has become popular in many bakeries. Some people don’t really know what natural fermentation is, and they think that the word “natural” is associated with “healthy,” so they stick to naturally fermented foods. In this article, I’m going to explain what natural fermentation is.
Before we dive into the details of natural fermentation, what is fermentation? The word fermentation comes from the Latin word fervere, which means “to boil,” and refers to the process in which microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and molds find organic substrates and use their enzymes to break them down, producing a variety of substances. However, if the substances produced are harmful to living organisms, the process is not called fermentation but ‘putrefaction’. Also, depending on the substances produced, fermentation is categorized into alcohol fermentation when ethanol is produced by yeast, lactic acid fermentation when lactic acid is produced by lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid fermentation when acetic acid is produced by acetic acid bacteria. The etymology of the word fermentation, which means “to boil,” probably refers to the carbon dioxide bubbles produced by alcoholic fermentation.
Natural fermentation is not a type of fermentation, but rather the word “natural” because the microorganisms that cause fermentation, or fermenting species, are obtained from nature rather than being manipulated to produce a specific fermentation. In other words, it is a method of fermentation in which ‘natural’ ingredients such as apples, tomatoes, grapes, etc. are left unattended so that microorganisms floating in the air can come into contact with the ingredients and naturally cause fermentation, and it is the first method of fermentation used by humans, so it can be said to be a primitive fermentation method. So, naturally leavened breads are similar to primitive breads that use leavening to make them, and they don’t use processed yeast, just a dough made of water and flour. However, simply leaving the ingredients in nature doesn’t mean you’ll get a naturally leavened sourdough. I’ve tried leaving tomatoes, raisins, etc. in sterilized jars in the past to make naturally fermented sauerkraut. The air contains many microorganisms that contribute to fermentation, as well as spoilage microorganisms, and these microorganisms can feed on the leftovers and multiply. It’s through this trial and error that we get the naturally fermented species, so making naturally fermented foods requires patience and patience.
So, what are the benefits of naturally fermented foods? Several researchers have studied and published on the benefits of fermented foods. Through the fermentation process, microorganisms break down food into a more digestible form and remove harmful toxins from the body, and the resulting substances, such as ethanol and acetic acid, prevent the destruction of nutrients and protect food from spoilage. You only need to look at traditional Korean foods such as gochujang, soy sauce, miso, and other fermented foods, such as makgeolli and kimchi, to see the health benefits of fermented foods. In particular, naturally fermented foods have the added benefit of improving the flavor of food through the action of natural fermentation species. When using processed fermented foods, only the effects of certain microorganisms are evident, whereas when using natural fermented foods, fermentation occurs through the interaction of many microorganisms, so you can consume a variety of beneficial products through natural fermented foods. Not only that, but processed cultures can destroy beneficial microorganisms, whereas naturally fermented cultures don’t, so you can expect additional enzyme activity in your body.
As you can see, naturally fermented foods are healthy foods that combine the benefits of conventional fermented foods with the benefits of naturally fermented foods. So, why not treat yourself to some naturally fermented bread for breakfast tomorrow?