Turns out that all my favorite foods are rotten.

Or to be more precise, they're fermented — which means they owe their deliciousness to the fact that they were basically left to stew in their own juices for a very long time.

Fermented foods play a much larger role in my diet than I'd realized. I'd mistakenly thought that sauerkraut and kimchi were about it, along with wine, beer and the occasional mojito at happy hour.

I never connected the dots to see that fermentation works its rotten magic everywhere. It's the secret behind artisanal cheese, gourmet breads, Earl Grey (and all other black teas), coffee, yogurt (frozen and otherwise), chocolate, miso, vinegar, soy sauce, Boca burgers (or at least tempeh) and the list goes on.

A food chemist -- or just a knowledgeable foodie -- would be quick to point out that fermented food is not really rotten at all. Yes, microorganisms, such as yeast, do start to grow and multiply on the food. And yes, those microorganisms feast away on any sign of freshness. But they also transform simple sugars into complex, flavor-packed acids or alcohols.

Turns out that these microrganisms could also have health benefits as well. According to an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, fermented foods are teeming with pro-biotics, healthy bacteria that may boost our immune systems and improve digestion. They may also have more available vitamins and minerals.

I poked around a little to see how much research I could dig up on these claims, and mostly came up with the benefits of specific foods, like wine, tea, kimchi and yogurt. As a broad category, I didn't find much hard science, except that fermented foods could be a trigger for migraines in some people.

There's also helpful site called Wild Fermentation for anyone who wants to learn more about it, try fermenting their own foods, or just understand the nitty gritty chemistry behind the process.

On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with kicking back to savor the many benefits of (to borrow a friend's term for an especially good bottle of wine) the noble rot.