I start most days with some puer (fermented tea) and my diet comprises a hell of a lot of krauts, pickles and vegan kimchi--- a little pile of kimchi or kraut is the final touch on almost every meal I make and pickles and olives are a perfect snack for any hour of the day. The most beautiful flavor of all time is Achaar, the Indian pickle dish composed of mango, bottle gourd, lemon, lime, gooseberry and carrot among other things; this as close as the culinary gets to the complex mystery of music.
Shopping Rec's:
Kimchi: Choi's all the way--- RIP Matthew Choi, the mastermind behind the deepest vegan kimchi.
Pickles: Forever Chicago's finest Claussen <3 <3 <3 (though not technically fermented)--- as for the real-deal fermented stuff, I'm not sure I've ever had a salt-brine pickle I didn't appreciate; direct acidic deliciousness.
Kraut: Ashland, Oregon's Pickled Planet Veda Kraut and Beet Kraut are just totally simplistically profound. Blue Bus's masterpiece take on the Salvadoran Curtido... bless it.
Kombucha: constant oscillation of GT's Guava Goddess and Health-Ade Cayenne Cleanse
Olives: Trader Joe's garlic stuffed
Achaar: check out your favorite local Indian spot's pickle dish and thank me or hate me later.