Germany has sauerkraut, Thailand has naem (fermented pork sausage), Sweden has surströmming (fermented herring) — it seems every culture has its own traditional fermented food. And with good reason: Research suggests these foods are nutritional powerhouses, and fermentation has also been found to break down poison in foods, like cyanide in cassava.
Beyond their alleged health benefits, though, fermented foods are also delicious and useful in building tasty meals. We all know this — but have you committed yet? Here are five classic yet freshly popular fermented foods to add to your ingredient repertoire, if you haven’t already. They’re all mostly a little more accessible than, say, Iceland’s hákarl (rotten shark).
