The Art of Fermentation

by Katz, Sandor Ellix; Pollan, Michael

• ISBN13: 9781603582865
• ISBN10: 160358286X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-05-14
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

The Art of Fermentationis the most comprehensive guide to do-it-yourself home fermentation ever published. Sandor Katz presents the concepts and processes behind fermentation in ways that are simple enough to guide a reader through their first experience making sauerkraut or yogurt, and in-depth enough to provide greater understanding and insight for experienced practitioners.While Katz expertly contextualizes fermentation in terms of biological and cultural evolution, health and nutrition, and even economics, this is primarily a compendium of practical information-how the processes work; parameters for safety; techniques for effective preservation; troubleshooting; and more.With full-color illustrations and extended resources, this book provides essential wisdom for cooks, homesteaders, farmers, gleaners, foragers, and food lovers of any kind who want to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for arguably the oldest form of food preservation, and part of the roots of culture itself. Readers will find detailed information on fermenting vegetables; sugars into alcohol (meads, wines, and ciders); sour tonic beverages; milk; grains and starchy tubers; beers (and other grain-based alcoholic beverages); beans; seeds; nuts; fish; meat; and eggs, as well as growing mold cultures, using fermentation in agriculture, art, and energy production, and considerations for commercial enterprises. Sandor Katz has introduced what will undoubtedly remain a classic in food literature, and is the first-and only-of its kind.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
Fermentation as a Coevolutionary Force	p. 1
Bacteria: Our Ancestors and Coevolutionary Partners	p. 1
Fermentation and Culture	p. 6
Fermentation and Coevolution	p. 10
Fermentation as a Natural Phenomenon	p. 12
The War on Bacteria........13
Cultivating a Biophilic Consciousness	p. 14
Practical Benefits of Fermentation	p. 17
The Preservation Benefits of Fermentation, and Their Limits	p. 18
The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods	p. 21
Fermentation as a Strategy for Energy Efficiency	p. 32
The Extraordinary Flavors of Fermentation	p. 33
Basic Concepts and Equipment	p. 37
Substrates and Microbial Communities	p. 37
Wild Fermentation Versus Culturing	p. 38
Selective Environments	p. 39
Community Evolution and Succession	p. 41
Cleanliness and Sterilization	p. 41
Cross-Contamination	p. 43
Water	p. 44
Salt	p. 44
Darkness and Sunlight	p. 46
Fermentation Vessels	p. 47
Jar Method	p. 48
Crock Method	p. 49
Crock Lids	p. 51
Different Crock Designs	p. 52
Metal Vessels	p. 53
Plastic Vessels	p. 53
Wooden Vessels	p. 54
Canoa	p. 55
Gourds and Other Fruits as Fermentation Vessels	p. 55
Baskets	p. 56
Pit Fermentation	p. 56
Pickle Presses	p. 58
Vegetable Shredding Devices	p. 58
Pounding Tools	p. 59
Alcohol-Making Vessels and Air Locks	p. 59
Siphons and Racking	p. 60
Bottles and Bottling	p. 61
Hydrometers	p. 63
Thermometers	p. 63
Cider and Grape Presses	p. 63
Grain mills	p. 64
Steamers	p. 64
Incubation Chambers	p. 64
Curing Chambers	p. 66
Temperature Controllers	p. 66
Masking Tape and Markers	p. 67
Fermenting Sugars into Alcohol: Meads, Wines, and Ciders	p. 69
Yeast	p. 71
Simple Mead	p. 72
Botanical Enhancements to Mead: T'ej and Baälche	p. 74
Fruit and Flower Meads	p. 76
Simple and Short Versus Dry and Aged	p. 77
Continuous Starter Method	p. 79
Herbal Elixir Meads	p. 79
Wine from Grapes	p. 82
Cider and Perry	p. 84
Sugar-Based Country Wines	p. 86
Alcoholic Beverages from Other Concentrated Sweeteners	p. 87
Fermented Fruit Salads	p. 88
Plant Sap Ferments	p. 88
Carbonating Alcoholic Beverages	p. 91
Mixed Source Legacy	p. 92
Troubleshooting	p. 92
Fermenting Vegetables (and Some Fruits Too)	p. 95
Lactic Acid Bacteria	p. 96
Vitamin C and Fermented Vegetables	p. 97
Kraut-Chi Basics	p. 97
Chop	p. 98
Salt: Dry-Salting Versus Brining	p. 99
Pounding or Squeezing Vegetables (or Soaking in a Brine)	p. 100
Pack	p. 101
How Long to Ferment?	p. 102
Surface Molds and Yeasts	p. 103
Which Vegetables Can Be Fermented?	p. 105
Spicing	p. 109
Sauerkraut	p. 110
Kimchi	p. 112
Chinese Pickling	p. 114
Indian Pickling	p. 116
Fermenting Hot Sauce, Relishes, Salsas, Chutneys, and Other Condiments	p. 117
Himalayan Gundruk and Sinki	p. 118
Considerations for Salt-Free Vegetable Ferments	p. 118
Brining	p. 120
Sour Pickles	p. 123
Brining Mushrooms	p. 125
Brining Olives	p. 126
Dilly Beans	p. 127
Lactic Acid Fermentations of Fruit	p. 128
Kawal	p. 131
Adding Starters to Vegetable Ferments	p. 132
Liquid Forms of Vegetable Ferments: Beet and Lettuce Kvass, Cultured Cabbage Juice, Kaanji, and Salgam Suyu	p. 135
Tsukemono: Japanese Pickling Styles	p. 137
Cooking with Fermented Vegetables	p. 142
Laphet (Fermented Tea Leaves)	p. 142
Troubleshooting	p. 142
Fermenting Sour Tonic Beverages	p. 147
Carbonation	p. 148
Ginger Beer with Ginger Bug	p. 150
Kvass	p. 151
Tepache and Aluá	p. 153
Mabi/Mauby	p. 154
Water Kefir (aka Tibicos)	p. 155
Whey as a Starter	p. 160
Roots Beer	p. 161
Pru	p. 162
Sweet Potato Fly	p. 163
Inventive Soda Flavors	p. 164
Smreka	p. 165
Noni	p. 166
Kombucha: Panacea or Peril?	p. 167
Making Kombucha	p. 169
Kombucha Candy: Nata	p. 174
Jun	p. 175
Vinegar	p. 175
Shrub	p. 177
Troubleshooting	p. 177
Fermenting Milk	p. 181
Raw Milk: Microbiology and Politics	p. 183
Simple Clabbering	p. 185
Yogurt	p. 186
Kefir	p. 192
Viili	p. 196
Other Milk Cultures	p. 197
Plant Origins of Milk Cultures	p. 199
Crème Fraîche, Butter, and Buttermilk	p. 200
Whey	p. 201
Cheese	p. 202
Factory Versus Farmstead Cheesemaking	p. 205
Non-Dairy Milks, Yogurts, and Cheeses	p. 207
Troubleshooting	p. 208
Fermenting Grains and Starchy Tubers	p. 211
Engrained Patterns	p. 212
Soaking Grains	p. 218
Sprouting	p. 219
Rejuvelac	p. 220
Porridges	p. 220
Fermenting Oatmeal	p. 221
Grits/Polenta	p. 221
Atole Agrio	p. 223
Millet Porridge	p. 224
Sorghum Porridge	p. 224
Rice Congeep	p. 225
Old Bread Porridge	p. 225
Potato Porridge	p. 225
Poi	p. 226
Cassava	p. 227
SouthAmerican Cassava Breads	p. 229
Fermenting Potatoes	p. 230
Sourdough: Starting One and Maintaining It	p. 231
Flatbreads/Pancakes	p. 236
Sourdough Bread	p. 237
Sour Rye Porridge Soup (Zur)	p. 238
Sierra Rice	p. 240
Hoppers/Appam	p. 241
Kishk and Keckek el Fouqara	p. 243
Fermenting Grains with Other Kinds of Foods	p. 244
Fermenting Leftover Grains (and Starchy Tubers)	p. 244
Troubleshooting	p. 244
Fermenting Beers and Other Grain-Based Alcoholic Beverages	p. 247
Wild Yeast Beers	p. 248
Tesgüino	p. 250
Sorghum Beer	p. 253
Merissa (Sudanese Toasted Sorghum Beer)	p. 256
Asian Rice Brews	p. 261
Basic Rice Beer	p. 262
Sweet Potato Makgeolli	p. 264
Millet Tongba	p. 265
Saké	p. 266
Malting Barley	p. 268
Simple Opaque Barley Beer	p. 270
Cassava and Potato Beers	p. 271
Beyond Hops: Beers with Other Herbs and Botanical Additives	p. 273
Distillation	p. 275
Growing Mold Cultures	p. 279
Incubation Chambers for Growing Molds	p. 281
Making Tempeh	p. 284
Cooking with Tempeh	p. 290
Propagating Tempeh Spores	p. 291
Making Koji	p. 296
Amazaké	p. 299
Plant Sources of Mold Cultures	p. 301
Troubleshooting	p. 305
Fermenting Beans, Seeds, and Nuts	p. 309
Cultured Seed and/or Nut Cheeses, Pâtés, and Milks	p. 310
Acorns	p. 310
Coconut Oil	p. 311
Cacao, Coffee, and Vanilla Fermentation	p. 312
Spontaneous Fermentation of Beans	p. 313
Idli/Dosa Dhokla\Khaman	p. 314
Aearajé (Afro-Brazilian Fritters of Fermented Black-Eyed Peas)	p. 315
Soybeans	p. 319
Miso	p. 318
Using Miso	p. 323
Soy Sauce	p. 325
Fermented Soy "Nuggets": Hamanatto and Douchi	p. 327
Natto	p. 328
Dawadawa and Related West African Fermented Seed Condiments	p. 331
Fermenting Tofu	p. 333
Troubleshooting	p. 335
Fermenting Meat, Fish, and Eggs	p. 337
Drying, Salting, Smoking, and Curing	p. 339
Dry-Curing Basics	p. 341
Brining: Corned Beef and Tongue	p. 344
Dry-Cured Sausages	p. 345
Fish Sauce	p. 352
Pickled Fish	p. 354
Fermenting Fish with Grains	p. 355
Filipino Burong Isda and Balao-Balao	p. 356
Japanese Nare Zushi	p. 358
Fermenting Fish and Meat in Whey, Sauerkraut, and Kimchi	p. 359
Fermenting Eggs	p. 361
Cod Liver Oil	p. 362
Burying Fish and Meat	p. 363
High Meat	p. 366
Meat and Fish Ethics	p. 367
Considerations for Commercial Enterprises	p. 369
Consistency	p. 370
First Steps	p. 373
Scaling Up	p. 375
Codes, Regulations, and Licensing	p. 378
Different Business Models: Farm-Based Operations, Diversification, and Specialization	p. 383
Non-Food Applications of Fermentation	p. 387
Agriculture	p. 387
Bioremediation	p. 396
Waste Management	p. 398
Disposal of Human Bodies	p. 401
Fiber and Building Arts	p. 401
Energy Production	p. 407
Medicinal Applications of Fermentation	p. 409
Fermentation for Skin Care and Aromatherapy	p. 411
Fermentation Art	p. 412
Epilogue: A Cultural Revivalist Manifesto	p. 415
Resources	p. 419
Glossary	p. 435
A Note on References	p. 439
Books Cited	p. 443
Endnotes	p. 451
Index	p. 481
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.