Despite its enviable food culture, India doesn't have a rich history of fermented cuisine. The simple reason for this is that given our hot and humid climate, we tend to cook all our dishes before they get spoilt. Yes, the batter for certain items like idli and dosa is indeed fermented. But even these are later cooked, meaning that all the bacteria in it is killed before consumption.

But not all bacteria is bad. There is the concept of good bacteria in food, which helps in digestion and in cleaning your guts among other things. Fermentation helps retain these, apart from preserving the food for longer. And that's why it's a technique that's commonly used across the world, from Korea in the east — where kimchi is a staple part of the diet — to Germany, famous for its sauerkraut.