"[A] mesmerizing mix of recipes and food history."
--Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
"Duguid has a scholar's love of research, a cook's hunger, and a
journalist's talent for storytelling. . . . The recipes are from all
over the world and her knowledge is staggering. . . . Simply
brilliant."
--Diana Henry, The Telegraph (U.K.), The Best Cookbooks to Buy in
Autumn 2022
Naomi Duguid, who's taken food lovers to many corners of the globe, now
invites readers and cooks on a very different journey--a deep dive into
the miracle of salt and its essential role in preserving, fermenting,
and transforming food.
Learn age-old techniques for making sauerkraut, miso, butter,
prosciutto, kimchi, salt-fermented pickles, basturma, salt-preserved
lemons, brined eggs, and much more. Create a vibrant "salt pantry"
filled with enticing blends of salt and spices, and with easy condiments
and preserves such as Spiced Green Mango Pickle and Dried Shrimp and
Garlic Chutney. Read about essential salt-preserved flavorings such as
soy sauce, fish sauce, pickled plums, salted anchovies, and salt cod.
The wide range of international recipes that follow invite you to use
this umami-rich larder of salt-preserved ingredients and salted
flavorings to transform vegetables, soups, mains, pasta dishes, and
desserts. Orange and Black Olive Salad balances tangy and salty. Black
Bean Sauce adds intense flavor to stir-fries. Bacalao Tortilla is a nod
to salt cod as a cornerstone of European kitchens. Shio Koji, a simple
salt-fermented ingredient, flavors grilled vegetables and other foods
with subtlety and power. Kebabs marinated with a blend of pomegranate
molasses and fish sauce are a triumph of salty-sweet-tart umami. And
there's nothing like a layer of saltiness to bring out the best in
sweets and desserts, from Creamy Candied Ginger and Miso Ice Cream to
Yogurt Cake with Salted Lemon and Nuts, from Breton Salted-Butter Cake
to Miso Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips.
Working with salt-preserved and salt-fermented ingredients not only
opens up a rich new world of flavors and techniques but also offers
cooks the gift of connecting with generations of culinary wisdom.
