If the germ theory is relatively new, how do they think fermentation was happening (like wine, ale, yogurt etc.) thousands of years ago?

Question

If the germ theory is relatively new, how do they think fermentation was happening (like wine, ale, yogurt etc.) thousands of years ago?

In: 613

Answer 1

Just like people knew about heat treatment of metals long before we learned about materials science. You can do a lot of stuff without knowing the underlying mechanisms.