All you need to know about fermented foods in Italian cuisine

+ a few delicious fermented foods you’ll want to make - and use - in recipes

Fermentation is a food preservation technique that’s been used for thousands of years and by almost all cultures. Some of the most common fermented foods we know and love are prosciutto and salami, and sourdough bread.

The origin of “ferment” comes from the Latin word for “yeast,” fermentum, and from the verb fermentare “to cause to rise or ferment,” but the word's ultimate Latin root, fervere, means “to boil” (Think the technique of cooking grape must to transform it into wine).

Fermented foods are foods that have gone through a transformation process, originally a natural process, that people have learned to control and manipulate. Bacteria and yeast work to break down the sugars in food, which then produce organic acids that alter the flavor and texture of a food. It's thanks to these microorganisms that basically pre-digest carbohydrates present in food and transform some of its characteristics.

Unless foods are specially preserved, bacteria, molds, and yeasts will spontaneously seize the opportunity to digest their sugars, fats, and proteins, creating a wild array of new compounds. When we like the results of the transformation, we call it fermentation; when we don't, we call it rotting.

Fermentation inhibits the growth of molds and undesired bacteria. Fermented food can last a long period of time without decaying because the bacteria involved in fermentation are strong and curb the growth of other bacteria, like those involved in decay. 

A spoiled ferment will smell rancid or like alcohol, whereas a good ferment will have a pleasant sour smell. Also, a spoiled ferment may be slimy in texture.

A good ferment will become dull in color and the brine will be cloudy. If there’s mold on the surface just scrape it off and discard it; the brine underneath will be fine. If you see mold throughout, then discard everything.

The reason the fermentation technique evolved in ancient times was as a way to preserve foods before refrigeration. 

In Italy, some of the best and tastiest cheeses have been developed through the use of fermentation techniques.