The Viral Architects: How Hidden Phages Shape Your Homemade Ferments

If you’re into home fermentation, you probably think of yourself as a microbial shepherd. You create a cozy, salty brine, and in return, your flock of bacteria and yeasts—like Lactobacillus or Saccharomyces—get to work, transforming cabbage into sauerkraut or flour into sourdough. We’ve been told this story for decades: fermentation is a battle between “good” microbes and “bad” microbes, and our job is to rig the fight so the good guys win.