> It is also really unfortunate that in the west we miss out on tons of fungi based foods (not talking about anything psychedelic here) as many mushrooms contain tons of prebiotic fiber like substances that feed the probiotics already found in our gut.

You're right that we get far fewer varieties of fermented foods. It's notable how certain cultures go very far in some directions, like how many types of lentils/legumes are used commonly in India, and how many types of chilis are used in single dishes in Mexico. Japan's in that direction for fermentation, perhaps.

French cuisine deeply relies on mushrooms for umami and richness. There's a rich mushroom culture in France - a bunch of varietals are used.

I think we're going to eventually come to a point where we consider fermentation a sort of "food group". Many cultures had cheese, yogurt, kimchi pretty much every day - the probiotic benefits are great.

At the very least, being able to eat a variety of (fermented) foods in winter must have reduced the monotonous dreariness of the season - and helped improve nutrition, too.