Fermentation is like cooking food but with tiny creatures called microbes. These microbes are so small that you cannot see them with your eyes. They are like little chefs that cook things in a way that you wouldn't be able to do.
When you mix ingredients like fruit, vegetables, or grains with yeast or bacteria, they start to eat the sugars in the ingredients. This is like giving them food to eat. Just like we feel full after we eat, these microbes get full too!
As the microbes eat, they start to produce gases and acids. These gases make bubbles which we can sometimes see. This is what makes bread dough rise or soda fizz! The acids produced by the microbes can create delicious new flavors in food and drinks.
Fermentation is used to make things like bread, cheese, yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, beer, and wine. It's a really cool process because it creates new textures and flavors that aren't possible through other cooking methods. Plus, it can be a lot of fun to experiment with different ingredients and see what kind of tasty things you can create with those little microbes!