Edible Alchemy's Guide to Cross-Cultural Fermentation

Embark on a fermentation journey and discover your inner alchemist with over 65 recipes for crafting edible gold like sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, and more in your home kitchen.

Whether preparing curtido to extend the life of cabbage or using leftover bread to brew a bubbly glass of kvass, fermentation has long been a tool for giving ingredients a whole new life. Preserving foods to limit waste and boost gut health is the lifelong obsession of fermentation teacher and bacteria barista Alexis Goertz, creator of the edutainment (educational entertainment) platform Edible Alchemy. She has spent decades exploring this ancient and wild practice, and in Edible Alchemy’s Guide to Cross-Cultural Fermentation she equips you with techniques and over 65 recipes for experimenting with your own ferments.

Edible Alchemy’s Guide to Cross-Cultural Fermentation is divided into three parts: the cultural (both microbial and human) foundations of the practice; the fundamentals of and basic tools needed for fermentation; and the techniques and recipes that turn ordinary ingredients into living, edible gold. Along the way, Alexis encourages you to be playful and experimental, no matter where in the world you are based, with the reminder that every ferment is an opportunity to learn something new about seasonal ingredients local to your region through global techniques.

The more than 65 recipes are designed for beginners and expert alchemists alike. Alexis provides you with a breakdown of prep and fermentation times for each recipe and a list of any specialized kitchen equipment needed. The recipes themselves focus on flavor, with tangy fruit vinegars, umami-rich misos, and crispy sourdough crackers all in the mix. You can help combat food waste by making Cauliflower Leaf & Core Kimchi with leftover foliage or Green Tomato Pickles to use up your late-season tomatoes. Stock your fridge with homemade condiments like Salted Citrus Mustard or Fire Cider Paste Miso that you can use in salad dressings or marinades. Find formulas and tips for how to create and care for your Sourdough Starter and then use it in Sourdough Dosas and Sourdough Taralli. And learn how to make The Real Ginger Ale, Cherry Cream Soda, and Coffee Kombucha so you can have refreshing, probiotic sips.

Alexis provides you with the basics so you can confidently experiment with other local ingredients and flavors on your own. With many troubleshooting tips for what you want to see—and don't want to see—in your ferments, brought to life through Alexis’s very own illustrations, Edible Alchemy’s Guide to Cross-Cultural Fermentation is the perfect resource to guide you on your alchemical journey through the microbial world of fermentation.

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