Fermenting and pickling are two methods of preserving food, although the results often appear similar. In pickling, vinegar and/or salt are added to foods, such as cucumbers, beets, eggs and meats, to preserve them. Fermenting, on the other hand, employs naturally occurring yeasts, bacteria, enzymes and/or fungi to transform and preserve foods by converting carbohydrates into carbon dioxide, alcohols and organic acids.
