Why Are Fermented Foods Appetising, Eye-Opening and Joyful? A “Food Knowledge” Book and Film List for You
Through fermentation, we have not only enjoyed more delicious food but also broadened our understanding of nature and culture, and drawn people closer together. That is why we are eager to share with our readers this “food knowledge” reading list – appetising, joyful and eye-opening – and hope that more people will come together through fermentation.
01 Sandor Katz: The Art of Fermentation & Wild Fermentation
In 2012, building on the existing framework of his original book, Katz added the fermentation of ingredients such as meat and fish, completing The Art of Fermentation. This work won the “Oscar of the food world”, the highest honour in the American food industry – the James Beard Foundation Award. Katz was also presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Southern Foodways Alliance. The New York Times called him “a rare rock star of the American food world”, and CHOW magazine (a well-known food community magazine under CBS) described him as “a supreme trendsetter”.
In these two books, Katz has consistently inspired people to turn their kitchens into food laboratories – to ferment things themselves: to turn vegetables into sauerkraut, milk into cheese or yoghurt, grains into bread and wine, and legumes into miso, tempeh and more.
Beyond publishing books, Katz also runs workshops across North America, teaching the knowledge and skills of fermentation in person. He prefers to call himself “Sandorkraut” – a portmanteau of his first name, Sandor, and the German word Sauerkraut (sauerkraut).
Why is Katz so keen to spread fermentation culture? Beyond the rich sensory experiences and health benefits that fermented foods offer, there may be deeper reasons.
In the preface to The Art of Fermentation, Katz particularly emphasises:
“Fermentation of most foods has been under way since the dawn of human history, yet this ancient ritual has now been shifted onto factory production lines. Fermentation has all but vanished from the kitchens of ordinary homes.” “Every living creature on Earth interacts intimately with its environment through food. Yet in our high-tech society, most people have severed this connection, and that has brought about disastrous consequences.” “The global transport of goods consumes enormous resources and inflicts environmental devastation… Most globally traded food is produced in vast monoculture zones, which have replaced forests and a diversity of subsistence crops. When we depend entirely on the global trade system, we place ourselves in a state of extreme vulnerability, where even the slightest disruption can trigger collapse…”
“There are many reasons to argue that a productive local food system is better than a globalised one: it can produce fresher, more nutritious food and create local jobs and boost productivity. Moreover, because it does not depend on fuel and large-scale infrastructure, it reduces resource waste while providing greater food security. We must form a closer bond with the land through our food, and we must have people willing to take on the hard physical labour that farming demands. Let us value and reward such work, and rise up to take part in it.”
People’s Republic of Fermentation: A Documentary (8 Episodes)
02 Mary & Liu Xinzeng The Incredible Art of Fermentation Brewing
Mary and Liu Xinzeng studied fermentation engineering at university. Because they loved beer and found that commercially available options never quite satisfied their palates, they began brewing their own craft beer. As friends gradually came to appreciate their creations, they decided to establish their own craft brewing brand – Nine-Inch Craft Brewing.
Alongside running their brewery, they have travelled to various regions to explore different fermentation cultures and meet fermentation artisans. They have sought out the best domestic honey to brew mead, taken on the challenge of the famously pungent fermented winter melon, and tried suanyě – Guangxi’s pickled fruits said to turn “anything into a pickle”… Mary says that when developing their rice wine, she experienced the entire process from growing paddy rice to brewing, which gave her a profound sense of “the joy of harvest”. In her view, whether you grow grapes, barley, corn, rice or Mexican Agave, each can be naturally brewed into wine under its own local conditions – a testament to the openness and diversity of fermentation culture.
Beyond their products, they hope to document stories about fermentation as well. They have now published their first book on fermentation culture, The Incredible Art of Fermentation Brewing, with a second volume already in the works.
The Incredible Art of Fermentation Brewing takes home-brewed drinks as its accessible starting point, selecting seasonal and readily available ingredients. Through carefully structured steps, it guides readers hand by hand through brewing their very own drink, easing them into the world of fermented beverages. The book also explores fermentation culture, bringing to life the stories of the people and journeys behind brewing through vivid prose and beautiful imagery. It artfully interweaves history and culture with everyday life, inviting readers to explore the endlessly fascinating world of fermentation and the delightful connections between fermentation and daily life.
In April 2022, Foodthink held a reading group for The Incredible Art of Fermentation Brewing, inviting both authors to lead the discussion.
Mary and Liu Xinzeng hope that through their products and documentation, more people will come to understand fermentation and be willing to try a diverse range of fermented foods. While preserving traditional brewing methods, they bring the rigour of fermentation science to their craft, striving to optimise processes so as to honour tradition while improving quality.
03 Watanabe Gaku Field Bakery Wonders
After spending several years as a corporate drone in Tokyo, Watanabe Gaku, at the age of thirty, continually questioned himself, and ultimately decided to devote the rest of his life to natural fermentation. He came to realise that the world of microorganisms in food offers insights for human society and development, and that the operational models of modern bakeries can help us understand Marx’s critique of capitalism. So he and his wife moved to the countryside and opened an extraordinary bakery – Talmary.
While working with invisible microorganisms and honing his craft in naturally leavened bread, Watanabe also pondered how to ensure both the quality of his bread and his family’s quality of life, while keeping the business sustainable. This is what led to the book Field Bakery Wonders.
In September 2017, shortly after Foodthink was founded, our colleague Tianle visited the Watanabe family and their bakery in Tottori Prefecture, gaining a deeper understanding of his views and witnessing firsthand the wonders of natural fermentation in their bread-making.
Reading this book, you will not only learn everything needed to make naturally leavened bread from Watanabe, but also gain insight into the inner logic of capitalist economics through his explanations. Whether you are keen on bread-making or are simply pondering how to work and how to live, this is a slim, accessible volume that will open your eyes.
04 Marie-Claire Frédéric Neither Raw Nor Cooked – A Civilisation History of Fermented Food
After all, ‘between raw and cooked, fermented foods have accompanied human beings since the very beginning, and as long as there are people on this land, fermentation will, in all likelihood, never fall silent.’
05 Foodthink The Alchemy of Food Video Series (10 Episodes)
The varieties of fermented foods are as numerous as the stars in the sky, and we could never count them all. The Alchemy of Food video series focuses on six categories and ten types of fermented foods, all highly accessible and easy to get started with. If these foods intrigue you, we suggest you begin by tasting – obtain samples from a friend or from the makers featured in the videos, train your palate, cultivate your discernment, and then follow along with the tutorials. Recording the process of fermentation and its evolving flavours is also excellent practice. We hope you too will find a fermentation community near you, and share with friends the joy of making and the pleasure of tasting.
Foodthink’s Art of Fermentation reading group is under way. The two completed online discussions are available to watch back, and two more sessions are planned for 15 and 25 November – one online and one in person. Please stay tuned.
Foodthink will broadcast live on 15 November at 19:00.
Follow Foodthink’s video channel to sign up for Ma Junli: “The Art of Fermentation”, Third Session | Foodthink Reading Group
Foodthink will broadcast live on 25 November at 15:00.
Follow Foodthink’s video channel to sign up for Shuyu & Jingyan: “The Art of Fermentation”, Fourth Session | Foodthink Reading Group
Recently, Foodthink’s “Getting to Know Food” book fair, in collaboration with Keneng You Shu’s “Introverts’ Reading Room”, is also under way and is tentatively scheduled to run until 17 November. Friends based in Beijing are warmly invited to browse the exhibition, leaf through our recommended titles and discover more “food wisdom”.
Foodthink believes that fermentation is not merely a way of processing food but a culture rooted in traditional knowledge yet constantly innovating and evolving. The Fermentation Awakening Festival hopes to invite more partners to help spread fermentation culture. We have prepared a small fermentation bookshelf and a series of screening-ready videos for public spaces across the country that share our vision of using fermented foods to connect people with nature and with their communities.
Whether you are a bookshop, a gourmet food shop, a farmers’ market, a café, a bakery, a restaurant, or an open community kitchen or community centre, if you are interested in taking part, Foodthink can provide you with a small fermentation bookshelf featuring titles such as The Art of Fermentation, The Incredible Art of Fermentation Brewing, and Neither Raw Nor Cooked.
If your space can host an offline screening, we can supply The Alchemy of Food video series and the documentary People’s Republic of Fermentation, filmed by The Art of Fermentation author Katz in China, along with companion guides for watching and reading about fermentation.
Please scan the QR code below to introduce yourself and the space where the bookshelf will go or where screenings will be held. Once selected, we will get in touch, post you books, shelving and display materials free of charge, and provide video links.
Ferment | Awaken | Life | Festival
– Organisers –
Foodthink Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market
– Collaborating Partners –
Lakebank Culture Blue Cheese Yijian Bread Xiucai Doufang
Happy Lab Nine-Inch Craft Brewing Qu Caiyuan Daxiao Coffee
Qiaolike NiuPiTang Bailaohu Tun Fengnianqing
Chengdu Life Market Nanning Urban Farm Fair
(List being updated)
– Supporters –
Tianren Culture Heyi Holdings
Editor: Shitongjun