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

353 Pages·2003·3.01 MB·English

by  Sandor Ellix Katz

Table of Contents

Praise
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 - CULTURAL REHABILITATION

THE CASE FOR MICROBIAL COEXISTENCE
MICROBIODIVERSITY AND INCORPORATING THE WILD

Chapter 2 - CULTURAL THEORY

SCIENCE PUZZLES OVER A PERPLEXING PHENOMENON
LOUIS PASTEUR AND THE ADVENT OF MICROBIOLOGY

Chapter 3 - CULTURAL HOMOGENIZATION

FERMENTED STIMULANTS AND THE RISE OF GLOBALIZATION
RESISTING THE COMMODIFICATION OF CULTURE

Chapter 4 - CULTURAL MANIPULATION

DO-IT-YOURSELF
ANY FOOD CAN BE FERMENTED
SLIPPERY BOUNDARIES
EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENT BASICS
NEW FRONTIERS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 5 - VEGETABLE FERMENTS

BASIC BRINING TECHNIQUE
KIMCHI
FURTHER READING

Chapter 6 - BEAN FERMENTS

MAKING MISO
FINDING KOJI
FURTHER READING

Chapter 7 - DAIRY FERMENTS (AND VEGAN ALTERNATIVES)

CHEESE MAKING
THE BATTLE OVER RAW CHEESE REGULATIONS
VEGAN ADAPTATIONS
FURTHER READING

Chapter 8 - BREAD (AND PANCAKES)

SPROUTING GRAINS AND ESSENE BREAD
OTHER BREAD AND PANCAKE RECIPES
FURTHER READING

Chapter 9 - FERMENTED-GRAIN PORRIDGES AND BEVERAGES

GENETIC ENGINEERING OF CORN
PORRIDGE

Chapter 10 - WINES (INCLUDING MEAD, CIDER, AND GINGER BEER)

HOOCH
CARBOYS AND AIRLOCKS
COUNTRY WINES
OTHER SOFT DRINK RECIPES
FURTHER READING

Chapter 11 - BEERS

BOTTLING BEER
BEER IN KEGS
FURTHER READING
Chapter 12 - VINEGARS

FURTHER READING

Chapter 13 - CULTURAL REINCARNATION

GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH DEATH
COMPOST HAPPENS
SOCIAL CHANGE
APPENDIX
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
Praise for Wild Fermentation
“While the recipes are plentiful the author’s writing is what pulled me in and captivated me. He is
very knowledgeable on the subject of fermented foods and examines them through a historical,
scientific, and even a philosophical sense . . .. As I type these words there are crocks of sauerkraut
and bread starter bubbling away on my kitchen counter, and after reading Wild Fermentation I not
only appreciate but also understand the life cycles of each.”
Cheftalk.com
“For those of us raised to believe that cleanliness is Godliness and ‘sterilization’ the route to health,
the notion that we’d sometimes be better off letting microbes have their way in our food seems . . .
well, ‘wild.’ Armed with nothing more than a taste for sour flavors, and a decade of experiment that
began with salted cabbage, Katz takes the reader on a tour of praise for what microbial biodiversity
can do for foods and human health. A witty and enlightening romp with ‘mix, wait, and check’
recipes for everything from brined garlic to vineagre de pina.”
Joan Gussow, author, This Organic Life
“Katz’s desire to help others learn the craft of fermentation shines throughout this book.”
Northeast Food System Partnership
“A gold mine for science-fair projects.”
Booklist
“Yes, this is a good book for anyone who wants to know how to make kraut or kimchi or goat cheese,
but it is also a book for anyone who wants to know about life, about how life works—how to enjoy
it, respect it, love it and eat it.”
Indy Media Center
“A unique cookbook for gardeners . . .. This book will appeal to those interested in world food
traditions, the history of human nutrition, and the “whys” of good food and good health.”
The Washington Post
“Katz has obviously done comprehensive research on his subject and is passionate about it.”
Library Journal
“Comprehensive . . .. Delves into the how, when, why, and where of this delicious process with
joyfully obsessive abandon.”
Kitchen and Cook (the newsletter of the Culinary Institute of America)
“Sandor Ellix Katz delves deep into the magic and meaning of food with Wild Fermentation.”
Body and Soul Magazine

Copyright © 2003 Sandor Ellix Katz.
Illustrations copyright © 2003 Robin Wimbiscus.
No part of this book may be transmitted in any form by any means without permission in writing from the
publisher.

Designed by Jill Shaffer.

Printed in the United States First printing, July, 2003
08 07 06 4 5 6

Recycled Paper Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We
strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission, and to reduce the impact of our
business enterprise on the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper,
using soy-based inks, whenever possible. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative
(www.greenpressinitiative.org), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to
protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Wild Fermentation was printed on
Domtar Colors Cream, a 30 percent post-consumer waste paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Katz, Sandor Ellix, 1962-
Wild fermentation : the flavor, nutrition, and craft of live-culture foods / Sandor Ellix Katz.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-931498-23-7 (alk. paper) 1. Fermented foods. I. Title. TP371.44.K37 2003 641.7—dc21
2003046207

Chelsea Green Publishing Company
P.O. Box 428
White River Junction, Vermont 05001
800-639-4099
www.chelseagreen.com
DEDICATED TO JON GREENBERG (1956-1993)
This beloved ACT UP comrade first articulated to me the idea of peaceful
coexistence with microbes rather than warfare. I honor Jon and all our fellow
skeptics, rebels, and iconoclasts who question prevailing wisdom and authority.
Believe in the future and keep change fermenting.