Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling

Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern
Kitchen offers a clear road map for preserving fruits, vegetables, and fish through a
nonscientific, farm- or fisherman-centric approach. An essential backdrop to the 125
recipes outlined in this book are the producers and the artisanal products used to make
these salted and fermented foods. The more than 350 arresting photos of the barrel maker,
fish sauce producer, artisanal vinegar company, 200 hundred-year-old sake producer, and
traditional morning pickle markets with local grandmas still selling their wares document
an authentic view of the inner circle of Japanese life. Recipe methods range from the
ultratraditional-- Umeboshi (Salted Sour Plums), Takuan (Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in
Rice Bran), and Hakusai (Fermented Napa Cabbage)-- to the modern: Zucchini Pickled in
Shoyu Koji, Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums, and Small Melons in Sake Lees. Preserving
the Japanese Way also introduces and demystifies one of the most fascinating ingredients
to hit the food scene in over a decade: koji. Koji is neither new nor unusual in the
landscape of Japan fermentation, but it has become a cult favorite for quick pickling
or marinades. Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community, seasonality as
the root of preserved food, and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today.