ABSTRACT
Even in the early days of food fermentation, our ancestors recognized that fermented foods not only have delicate and refreshing tastes, but also have a longer shelf life and reduced chances of causing sickness from food-borne diseases. Fermentation helped them preserve some foods in their fermented form longer than the raw materials, which may be a major reason for food fermentation being so popular among early civilizations located in high-temperature zones. The knowledge of safety and stability of fermented foods has been transferred through the centuries and helped us understand their scientific basis.
