lacto-fermentation is mother nature’s way of making food tangy, zesty, and probiotic-packed. good bacteria (lactobacilli, if you want to sound fancy) munch on sugars (in our case, from dried jujube) and churn out lactic acid, preserving the food and giving it that signature zing. it’s how we get goodies like yogurt, kimchi, pickles, and—drumroll—chimi!