Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods

Fermentation gives us many of our most basic staples, such as bread and cheese, and our most pleasurable treats, including chocolate, coffee, wine, and beer. Cultures around the globe enjoy countless exotic fermented delicacies. The process of fermentation makes food more digestible and nutritious. Live, unpasteurized, fermented foods also carry beneficial bacteria directly into our digestive systems, where they exist symbiotically, breaking down food and aiding digestion… Fermented foods not only nourish, they help protect us from potentially harmful organisms and contribute to immunity. —Sandor Katz Without canning, refrigeration, or drying, the difference between rotten food and wholesome, delicious, and nutritiously beneficial foods is often just a mater of technique and culture. Not the kind of culture gained at the ballet or theatre, but the kind of culture that comes from beneficial bacteria. This author is totally into fermented foods, and his enthusiasm and expertise clearly show in this fine collection of instructions, recipes and illustrations. Covers the gamut, from a variety of beers, to sauerkraut, to kimchi to chutney, to miso, to elderberry wine, plus many more. This really is a terrific collection of recipes and techniques.