The dish may be one of the many fermented foods linked to better digestion.
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Email address Sign up Thank you! Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. For some tastebuds, sauerkraut is the perfect compliment to a hot dog on a hot summer day. For others, it's a sour stomach-churning mess. Whether you like to eat it or not, this tangy fermented cabbage might help protect the gut, support digestion, and potentially stave off illnesses. The findings are detailed in a study published April 7 in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Sauerkraut is a dish made of finely chopped cabbage and salt that has been allowed to ferment. According to The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, the fermentation process generally takes three to six weeks depending on the air temperature. In that time, the lactic acid bacteria (the same microbes that make yogurt) grow in the high-salt environment. During fermentation, the lactic acid bacteria produces a variety of flavorful byproducts. The most important is lactic acid itself, which contributes to the tartness and preservation that sauerkraut lovers enjoy. [ Related: You should make fermented veggies—for science. ] In the study, a team of microbiologists from the University of California, Davis looked at what happens during the fermentation process. They primarily focused on how the sauerkraut's metabolites–any…