Traditional Brazilian fermented foods: cultural and technological aspects

Abstract

Fermented foods production started thousands of years ago and comprised a wide variety of products from different cultures and countries. The discovery of fermented foods is considered an empirical process based on human observation and experimentation of food types susceptible to natural biochemical and microbiological effects. Given the historical miscegenation of Brazilian people, the country has rich cultural diversity and a complex mix of ethnicities, religions and culinary traditions, among others. Thus, the current review aims at presenting the main cultural, microbiological and technological aspects of different types of fermented foods and beverages produced and consumed in Brazil, such as traditional artisanal cheeses, fermented meat (socol and charqui), non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages (aluá, calugi, tarubá and yakupá), alcoholic beverages (cachaça, tiquira, caiçuma, cauim and caxiri) and fermented foods based on cassava (puba, farinha d'água, polvilho azedo and tucupi).