Fermentation is such wonderful technology. It both preserves and makes things more delicious.
Golden Horde conquered the known world fueled by milk byproducts.
Oceania, Africa, the Americas are not included in that nomenclature usually.
(YMMV, do your own research, there are obviously risks to letting food sit out at room temperature for two weeks)
For example cheese was likely discovered when people tried transporting milk in water carrying bags made from sheep stomachs. While carrying water in them would be fine, putting milk in there for a couple of unrefrigerated days would lead to cheese from the rennet in sheep's stomach that would stay on in the vessel, even after it has been cleaned and even dried.
Same with wine - let's store some fruit juices - it is pretty hard NOT to make wine unless you know about pasteurisation, and even if you do boil it, there are so many natural yeasts just ready to make wine.
Grains that get wet actively want to produce beer :)
Wholemeal flour is chock full of wild yeasts, and wants to become a sourdough starter if you just give it a little water and time.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dolphins-seem-to-u...
Try wine and grape juice side by side. Baring truly awful wine, the wine will taste better (I suppose you could have awful grape juice too, but, you get the idea).
If you want a cold drink that isn't sweet, your choices are pretty much alcohol, alcohol-free alternative, water.
Kvaas contain alcohol, doesn’t it?
I think only as much as kombucha, not enough to cause a buzz
I did almost mention jaljeera, but thought that might be a bit niche. It is also often sweetened though. I've never known not-sweet lassi though? Salted lassi is still sweet underneath, like salted caramel, ime. We could count it with the sweet-ish milk drinks, anyway.
Uh, no.
There's also seltzer, flavored seltzer, flavored water, iced tea, iced coffee, herbal infusions (like hibiscus, rooibos, honeybush, etc), broth, milk and plant based milk alternatives, and fermented drinks like kombucha + kefir. That's just off the top of my head.
Hibiscus even has the benefit of helping regulate blood pressure.
I almost never drink sweet drinks or plain water and rarely drink alcohol. My fluid consumption is almost entirely: hot tea, iced tea, kombucha, and hibiscus infusion. Sometimes seltzer. Sometimes coffee.
I like alcohol too, but not nearly as much as I like beer. Kinda sounds nonsensical, but that’s how I feel!
The unfermented juice of wine grapes has many similarities to the wine it would produce if fermented. "Grape juice" is usually pretty one note, just sweet.
I’ll be over here enjoying cheese, kimchi, beer, miso, pickles, sauerkraut, etc etc etc
Is not whether it makes humans unwell quite an important factor..
The difference between spoilage and fermentation is whether it’s spoiled.
There is at least some research that says fermented foods have some benefits including reducing inflammation. My personal guess based on subjecting myself to more and more fermenting foods is that much of the obesity and many of the common health issues have to do with not eating enough fermenting foods. Just a guess based on a sample of one.
Black tea is fermented, for example. No need for bacteria.
The term "fermentation" is very often used buy common language to describe both fungic and microbial activity.
Fermentation is the metabolic process by which microorganisms (like bacteria or yeast) convert organic compounds—typically sugars—into other substances such as alcohol, acids, or gases.
Examples:
Yeast turning sugar into alcohol in beer or wine.
Lactic acid bacteria fermenting lactose in yogurt.
2. Enzymatic (Non-Microbial) Fermentation: In certain fields, especially tea processing, cigar aging, or cocoa fermentation, the term fermentation is also used more broadly to describe biochemical changes driven by enzymes—either from the plant itself or from microorganisms.
Examples: Tea (e.g., black tea): The so-called "fermentation" is actually oxidation catalyzed by enzymes in the tea leaves themselves (like polyphenol oxidase), with little to no microbial activity.
Cigars (tobacco leaves): Enzymes within the tobacco leaf, often activated by warmth and moisture, cause internal biochemical transformations (not always microbial).
Cocoa beans: Initially microbial fermentation, but internal enzymes in the bean also break down compounds, affecting flavor.