15 Fermented Food Recipes That Go Way Beyond Kombucha (2024)

FAQs

What are 10 fermented foods? ›

What foods are fermented? Some of the most widely available include kombucha, yogurt, aged/raw cheeses, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, natto and kimchi. Other healthy foods that are fermented include apple cider vinegar, wine, sourdough bread, cottage cheese and coconut kefir.

Sauerkraut is one of the simplest fermented foods to make. It only contains two ingredients – cabbage and salt – although sometimes caraway seeds are added too. To make sauerkraut, all you have to do is shred your cabbage, cover it with salt, and mix around.

In addition to beneficial probiotics, kombucha made from black, green, and rooibos tea has been shown to be a good source of antioxidants—plant chemicals that can help prevent or delay cell damage that may have unique gut health benefits (11).

A review of many studies shows that fermented foods can help reduce the risk and progression of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. This happens because these probiotic-rich foods increase your body's antioxidant capacity and reduce inflammation while also helping to lower blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity.

The most common reaction to fermented foods is a temporary increase in gas and bloating. This is the result of excess gas being produced after probiotics kill harmful gut bacteria and fungi. Probiotics secrete antimicrobial peptides that kill harmful pathogenic organisms like Salmonella and E. Coli.

If you're pregnant or immunocompromised, you should avoid eating unpasteurized sauerkraut. If you take MAOIs, have blood pressure concerns, or have food intolerances or allergies, speak to your doctor before eating sauerkraut. Otherwise, sauerkraut is likely to be a nutritious and healthy addition to your diet.

Does apple cider vinegar work like kombucha? ›

The fermentation of the sugared tea starter causes some of the vinegar similarities, but kombucha is fermented by a SCOBY while apple cider is fermented by an MOV (Mother of Vinegar), both containing different types of bacteria. Kombucha is the only one of the two that contains a yeast culture.

If you're looking to improve heart health, apple cider vinegar may be the better choice. If you are fasting ACV is better because it will not break a fast. See our article does apple cider vinegar break a fast. But if you're interested in boosting immunity or aiding digestion, kombucha tea may be a good choice.

Fermented meat products such as salami, ham, and sausages are very popular foods around the world, where different cultures contribute to their texture, flavor, and safety. The most important microorganisms responsible for product transformation during fermentation are lactic acid bacteria (mainly Lactobacillus spp.)

Different traditional fermented foods, such as yogurt, cheeses, crème fraiche, fermented sausages, sourdough bread, soy sauce, fish sauce, fermented vegetables, including “miso” (fermented soybeans), “kimchi” (fermented spicy cabbage), “sauerkraut” (fermented cabbage), and “surströmming” (fermented herring) or ...