Setting the Table for Microbes There’s a thin line between rot and fermentation, and that line might best be understood as an actual line, like the kind you’d find outside a nightclub. Rot is a club where everyone gets in: bacteria and fungi, safe or unsafe, flavor-enhancing or destructive. When you ferment something, you’re taking on the role of a bouncer, keeping out unwanted microbes and letting in the ones that are going to make the party pop. You have several tools at your disposal in trying to encourage certain microbes or deter others. Some organisms are more tolerant of acidity than others, likewise with oxygen, heat, and salinity. If you’re familiar with what your preferred microbe needs to function, you can wield these factors to your benefit. Each chapter in this book will go into great detail about the conditions you need to create successful fermentation, but for starters, here’s an overview of the players that will be working for us. Excerpt from The Noma Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi and David Zilber