The Art of Fermentation: With Practical Information on Fermenting Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Milk, Beans, Meats, and More

First off: this book is beautiful. Hardcover, with a series of full-color plates 1/3rd and 2/3rds through. For only twice the price of a flimsy paperback, you're investing in five hundred solidly-constructed pages that will last. And a good thing, because this book is destined to be a classic. You don't need to have read Katz' other work, Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods , to understand, appreciate, and use this book - it stands alone. If you already own Wild Fermentation, don't be put off by the duplication of some recipes in the Table of Contents. Yes, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles are in here, but every section is greatly expanded with much more information and many more references. (Ever thought of using a layer of cooking oil as an airlock? Neither had I, but I'm going to try it!) Speaking of references... the Resources, Glossary, and Works Cited chapters could keep you busy for a few years. And yes: you will use this book. As Michael Pollan states in the well-written foreword, this is not one of those cookbooks you buy for the nice pictures and keep on your coffee table. This is a project manual. Fermentation is something you have to experience to understand, and Katz give you absolutely everything you need to get started. The first 67 pages are devoted entirely to the beginner, focusing not on specific recipes but on answering the inevitable questions: "WHY would I want to ferment food? is it safe? what equipment and general expertise do I need?" Again from Pollan: "Katz writes about the transformative power of fermentation with such infectious enthusiasm that he makes you want to try things just to see what happens." This is so true. Even if you don't initially intend to, many of these 'recipes' are so simple and unintimidating (hard apple cider, mead, sauerkraut and its derivatives, sourdough) that it's hard to resist the urge to pick up a box of Mason jars and some fresh produce the next time you're at the grocery store. Many of us are experimenters at heart, and fermentation is the perfect mix of art and science to tap into this nature and inspire all kinds of crazy projects. Already the neighborhood King of Kraut? I guarantee that this book will still have something for you. Chapter 12 - "Fermenting Meat, Fish, and Eggs" isn't enough? Turn to Chapter 13, for a short but serious discussion of what it takes to turn a fermentation hobby into a small business. Notes about scaleup, HACCP plans, and licensing are cool to read about, though I have no plans to open a tempeh factory anytime soon. Or how about Chapter 14 - "Non-Food Applications of Fermentation"? Again, I don't live on a farm, but it is neat to read about compost, silage, and bioremediation. (Surprise: Katz doesn't buy into corn ethanol biofuels) While this is by no means a biology textbook, the scientific content is much improved over Wild Fermentation. Chapter 1 - "Fermentation as a Coevolutionary Force" is, in general, accurate and well-referenced. Katz is not a formally-trained scientist, but he does not shy away from technical details when they are helpful for understanding, and he shows respect for the scientific method and its results. See, for instance, his discussion of 'homofermentative' and 'heterofermentative' organisms in vegetable fermentation (pg 96), or of commercial starter cultures (pg 132). If you subsist on white bread and margarine and bleach your cutting boards after every use, fermentation may not be the hobby for you. The first time I skimmed some strangely-textured yeast off of a crock of fermenting beets, I have to admit I was a little skeptical what those beets would look like when I pulled them out (they were absolutely delicious). While some of my more imaginative fermentation adventures have yielded delicious results, a few have been downright terrible (yep, ate them anyway!). If you don't see any issue with carving a bit of mold off some cheese or a piece of fruit instead of throwing it out, then you probably have what it takes. Many (most?) of the poor reviews on Wild Fermentation are from people taking issue with Katz' lifestyle or philosophies. Many of his philosophical discussions in this book are backed up with hard science and references, so even those who found Wild Fermentation to be overbearing may find this new book to be more palatable. If you have some problem with the fact that Katz has HIV (he states this outright in the new book, and includes a sidebar about how fermented foods may be helpful but they are not a disease cure), do the rest of us a favor and keep it to yourself. I've been experimenting with fermentation for about a year, relying mostly on Wild Fermentation and a substantial collection of online resources. I've only had this book for a week, and I've already had tons of fun and learned a lot. When I'm finished with my read-through, this book will definitely be making its rounds among my friends. A great reference and a worthwhile investment - highly recommended.

This was my first book on fermentation, and it remains my favorite. What I love most is the way it teaches you the why and the how behind the processes. This is not just a cookbook; it is a book of history, anthropology, sociology, and even poetry. It reveals the human and deeply real side of food and fermentation. If you want a book that makes you feel at home while teaching you how to ferment, this is it.

What a great book! Im so glad I found it here and got it! It was just what I wanted! Im a newbie at fermenting stuff and wanted to do more and/or do what I do even better. Very nice! Plus, this is a very nicely made hardback book. So, I should last for quite some time and i like the feelof the paper. It'seasy to make neat notes on and the paper is the kind that doesn't turn yellow and start decomposing on you. Like I said, quality made book, in my opinion and very informative. Im very pleased and recommend this book if you too are wanting to learn more about the different fermentations that can be done! I did want more details and recipes for making Kombucha. So, i got a book just on making Kombucha. However, this book can definitely get you started and trying different things, healthy ferments. Thank you so much!

I just received this yesterday, but already have a lot of information and experience with fermentation. But, this book exceeds my expectations. I didn't expect it to cover wine and mead, include recipes from fermented drinks to vegetables and fruit to meat, and it even talks about the diffeent kinds of fermentations crocks as well as offering recipes and sage advice. I haven't even scratched the surface of this book! If you want to ferment - whether for simple culinary use or for health, this is the book you need to get started. This is a substantial book, so don't waste your money buying an assortment of books until you discover this one.

Beautifully presented material... with excellent definition of sources. It makes you want to go around the world for a taste test while enjoying the folklore! Do not expect to find line-by-line recipes. By the way, this is the reason for rating the book four stars. It would be perfect to see a short recipe on the side bar for each section. But in my opinion, it was not author's intent to give a cook book method but provide a history of each process with many examples. Detail recipes would not quite fit the style of the book. However, it is not that hard to come up with a recipe when you read, for example, water kefir or honey water or yogurt, which in my opinion are the easiest to experiment. No one should be paying for processed yogurts with questionable beneficial bacteria. If you don't understand, read those pages one more time while taking some notes. You will see that you can easily come up your own recipe, experiment and see what happens. And yes this was clearly stated in the editorials! Also, I believe it was author's intention that you don't need line-by-line recipe for fermenting foods. Once you get the idea, you should experiment with your own "close enough" recipes. Years ago without reading any recipes or books on fermentation (from watching my mom when I was a teenager) I knew that you need to put some salt, fresh dill and some fresh garlic to create fermented cucumbers. It grew some mold on top but once I skimmed away the mold and put the fermented pickles and the juice (after 10-14 days of fermentation) in the fridge, they were delicious in about 48 hours. Now I know why it grew mold and it needed little more salt. Recently, I made some investment on crocks that you can seal the top lid with water to provide controlled interior environment to release the carbon dioxide. I use those crocks to make excellent sauerkraut but they are not necessary if you don't want to spend the money. This is what the author is trying give to his readers; it is lot more fun when you experiment with things and learn slowly and while learning from your mistakes. The way I make my water kefir is slightly different than the way it is described in the book but the end result is the same and the best of it now I know there are more than one kind of water kefir grains and I know which one is the one I have been using based on the detail info on water kefir in the book. I am grateful for that! You can always buy another book with step-by-step recipes but you are not going to get the history behind each fermenting style! I know this book will be in my library for excellent reference on fermentation for years to come. If you have auto immune disease, arthritis, lupus, irritable bowel syndrome or know someone with autism, fermentation should be where you start for a long term healing process. Don't expect things happen overnight as we become a nation of people with instant gratification. If you give your self enough time; say six months to couple of years, with strictly fermented foods, you could see excellent results!

Fermentation was frankly something I had little to no experience or interest in until a few years ago....even then it was a slow progression. For health reasons (we're not getting any younger) we started taking an active interest in food - both the quality of the food and the preparation practices. The more we learned, the more we started cooking, baking and making our own food. Bread was perhaps one of the very first things we took the time to make from scratch and soon the bread baking became a weekly tradition. Fresh baked bread is so delicious, warm and comforting. Of course, that led to grinding our own flour and since bread is so much like beer - my spouse began experimenting with home brewed beer and wine and even soda. It wasn't long before something always seemed to be brewing in the kitchen and at least one of us, was quickly becoming a fermentation fan. Over those few years, our diet, shopping habits, food choices and preparation methods changed fairly radically from what we had thought was a decent diet to an all organic, homemade diet with local produce when possible. It was during that time I started hearing more and more about the benefits of fermentation of other foods - but frankly, not having grown up around anything remotely related to food preparation, I had no idea what was/wasn't fermented. In fact, I thought pickles were always made with vinegar and canned - I had no idea they were fermented. Ditto for sauerkrout or oodles of other items. Somewhere along the line, I came across Sandor's first book on fermentation and purchased it. It was NOT love at first sight...in fact, after the first read, I thought it sounded horrible (rotted food?!) and set it aside for at least another year. Then by chance, I happened to taste some REAL pickles..then fermented salsa and several other things that just knocked my socks off. I pulled that book out and decided to give it a try. Low and behold, it worked like a charm! Soon I was buying big fermentation pots and since then we have become regular consumers of fermented products made a home. I then bought the book and video set and several other books on fermentation...in fact, by this point, I probably own most of the major books about fermentation. So, when this came up as an advanced order option, I purchased it right away although I wasn't sure what to expect. It was delivered early and right from the start, it is obvious this book is MUCH larger than previous books. It provides a exemplary overview of fermentation from both a historical perspective as well as current uses around the globe. The information expands upon the understanding of fermentation in a dramatic way. It's both interesting and informative. Without a doubt, it's one of the best books I've read on the subject and I've read a LOT of them! Now, if you are just wanting an introduction to fermentation with a few quick and easy recipes' and examples, the older books by Katz are probably still your best choice. On the other hand, if you are a person that likes to understand a topic in depth when starting something new, this may be more to your liking. Existing fermentation fans will ABSOLUTELY want to purchase this new book for the expanded knowledge, information and insight. It will not disappoint! May your beer always bubble, your bread always rise - Your pickles always pucker and your crock never demise! Happy fermenting folks!

This book has got to be the most important book written for survival, living sustainable, and giving a finger to the powers that be that have brainwashed generations of people now to be afraid of food preservation -- therefore being dependent on industry to feed us and keep our food safe. This book goes beyond teaching you how to live a healthy life using simple fermentation methods since the beginning of mankind - without saying directly, it is a revolution for people to take their power back from companies and food regulators who have been trying to scare us into thinking we need all their fancy science and equipment in order to survive and not poison ourselves. When in fact, we have been poisoned by the lack of variety in bacteria that our guts have evolved to need. (Co-evolved.) --- I think its wild that a book about fermenting foods can involve so much passion, but i feel reading this book is empowering. After having read a few months back a Book about CANNING food, which literally scared the hec out of me and made me never want to Can a single food due to the many scientific factors and high rates of food poisoning from it -- i had felt depressed about how I would be able to store all the food from my gardens beyond just shoving things in a food cellar. Fermentation is the food poisoning FREE, time tested over human history answer to food storage and preservation -- or at least elongating that process while giving our guts the bacteria they long for. With this kind of knowledge, those with and without a garden can extend their food so much further, so much healthier, and for SO much cheaper then the food industry would ever want you to re-learn. I am thankful that Sandor has written this resource which is so needed! His dedication to explore this way of eating will change the health of countless people who learn the art of fermentation. I know it has already changed my life, because having celiac disease these ferments are the first thing to have effected my digestive tract in a positive way in 12 years! - Right now I am starting my 3rd bath of kraut, i have 8 types of fruit vinegars, fruity kombucha, saurrubben and fermenting cashew nut "cheese". Working my way through all types of ferments, and can't wait to get the the even wilder ones!

A life-changing book. Belongs in every basic library.

Very good book, read it from cover to cover!

Pretty sure the information inside the book are very good but the quality of the book itself it's pretty poor. Just open it and it's already coming apart

More a book on personal experiences than a step by step guide/explanation of fermentation proces. Could be better.

Devoured this book and thoroughly enjoyed it! My copy is a little battered and worn now because it’s seen many a mishap. I’ve yet to successfully ferment anything (my sourkraut wasn’t chopped finely enough and bubbles over turning my counter a lovely blue/purple colour!) but it’s so worth the read. I shall continue to persevere and one day I will make all the beautiful fermented foods and beverages! Long live the art of fermentation, long live a healthy gut microbiome!

Muy buen contenido