What even is yeast? I am thinking mainly of the kind we use to make bread rise. Which I buy from the grocery store…
But, back in the day, where did people find yeast? I assume people cultivate it and grow it, much like sour dough, but someone had to find it originally, right?
And what does ir do in the wild? Especially since it is so easy to kill? (Can’t be too hot, can’t touch salt, can’t be too old…)
Note: this is purely to do with my curiosity. I have no interest in actually hunting wild yeast
In: Biology
“Yeast” is an incredibly diverse group of single-celled organisms that are broadly considered a type of fungus.
Some of them are colony forming.
Certain specific *kinds* of yeast have been used by humans for a variety of food-related things. We take advantage of their propensity for eating starches and sugars and producing carbon dioxide, acidity, and alcohol as a byproduct. In bread, we want the CO2 to help it rise. In beer and wine, we want the alcohol.
There are other organisms (like lactic acid producing bacteria in yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, etc) that also fill similar food-preservation roles.
In the wild, yeast is everywhere, and it wakes up and eats whatever’s available when the conditions are right. The rest of the time it stays dormant (that’s why it comes from the store in those little dry pellets).
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