Fermentation is the controlled application of microbial biochemistry to food — the use of bacteria, yeasts, or moulds to transform raw ingredients into something with greater complexity, depth, and (in most cases) safety and preservation. The Japanese kitchen is the world's most sophisticated fermentation tradition: miso, soy sauce, sake, mirin, rice vinegar, and katsuobushi are all fermented products that form the flavour backbone of the entire cuisine. Understanding fermentation as microbiology rather than magic allows the cook to control it rather than hope for it.
Modernist Cuisine