• The Art of Fermentation

  • An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World
  • By: Sandor Ellix Katz
  • Narrated by: Sean Crisden
  • Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (334 ratings)

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The Art of Fermentation  By  cover art

The Art of Fermentation

By: Sandor Ellix Katz
Narrated by: Sean Crisden
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Publisher's summary

The Art of Fermentation is the most comprehensive guide to do-it-yourself home fermentation ever published. Sandor Ellix Katz presents the concepts and processes behind fermentation in ways that are simple enough to guide listeners through their first experience making sauerkraut or yogurt, and in-depth enough to provide greater understanding and insight for experienced practitioners. While Katz expertly contextualizes fermentation in terms of biological and cultural evolution, health and nutrition, and even economics, this is primarily a compendium of practical information - how the processes work; parameters for safety; techniques for effective preservation; troubleshooting; and more.

Featuring a foreword by Michael Pollan, The Art of Fermentation provides essential wisdom for cooks, homesteaders, farmers, gleaners, foragers, and food lovers of any kind who want to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for arguably the oldest form of food preservation, and part of the roots of culture itself. Listeners will find detailed information on fermenting vegetables; sugars into alcohol (meads, wines, and ciders); sour tonic beverages; milk; grains and starchy tubers; beers (and other grain-based alcoholic beverages); beans; seeds; nuts; fish; meat; and eggs, as well as growing mold cultures, using fermentation in agriculture, art, and energy production, and considerations for commercial enterprises. Sandor Katz has introduced what will undoubtedly remain a classic in food literature, and is the first - and only - of its kind.

©2012 Sandor Ellix Katz (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Katz takes fermentation down to the molecular level while keeping it conversational and accessible to the generalist. Fermentation foodies will be ecstatic." ( Library Journal)

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What listeners say about The Art of Fermentation

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not what I thought

The authors personal story is compelling but it was not what I expected the book to be. I was looking for more technical details about the art of fermentation but instead it was about his struggles with his personal lifestyle choices and their consequences which in turn drove him in the direction of homeopathy.

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13 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Got it for Beer, Read it for the Weird.

Okay I bought this book for the chapters on Beer and wine fermentation. While listening to the res of the book I found the topic fascinating. While there are some slightly odd choices in taste profiles I found myself intrigued by the topic and I will likely explore some of them a bit more. My only criticism is the claims which the author quotes from various people of the miraculous curative power of ferments, though to be fair, he then often says that they are rarely backed by any science. Good exploration for foodies.

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12 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too drawn out...

Great start then started getting repetitive, then preachy. I am going to start fermenting, he sold me on that....

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11 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good but not for everyone <br />

I picked out many good bits from this book but it is not something for everyone. I like details and alternative methods for fermentation so it was good for me.

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11 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent book! Needs a pdf

Loved the content and information of the book. But I would rather have a physical copy. There are too many recipes to remember and while I would list

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8 people found this helpful

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Fascinating

As a long time brewer (since 1994), I thought that I knew a lot about fermentation. I got this book thinking that it would help me stay interested on the road. I can't believe how much I learned. I'm going to buy a "hard copy" because I want to cross reference it frequently!

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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At times more than I wanted to know

Where does The Art of Fermentation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I liked it - I bought the hard copy first and realized I would never read it all. The audio book was very interesting and I am going to make a few things that I would never have tried to make if I had not listened to the book

What does Sean Crisden bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did a great job.

Any additional comments?

I like this book. It is interesting and I enjoyed hearing about the author's life and different cultures

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Impressively informative...

The book starts out a bit complicated sounding, but if you hang in there & keep listening, the language simplifies a bit to reveal an impressive amount of information, which becomes more clear the farther along you get.
I think it worth the investment, especially when considering the amount of work that must have gone into the writing & research of it all.

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More Food preparation (cookbooks) please, Audible

Would you consider the audio edition of The Art of Fermentation to be better than the print version?

It is surprising to me how much I enjoy listening to how people prepared food. The whole book was amazing to me and opens a whole new world of food preparation. Even if you don't delve into all of these processes personally, it gives a really appreciation and understanding of the process gone through to make some of the foods you enjoy. This book is listed under nutrition, but I would put it with cookbooks. Wait, where is this is a very overlooked genre on audible. I only find chef biographies. Some of my favorite cookbook authors are so entertaining when I've seen them appear on television. Nigella Lawson would be fantastic reading her cookbooks. Their thoughts and notes about food expand beyond the basic recipe. So glad I found this.

What other book might you compare The Art of Fermentation to and why?

I will be looking for more food preparation books on audible. At this time, I don't know another book like this one.

What about Sean Crisden’s performance did you like?

Sean Crisden read this book perfectly. Not boring at all.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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It's really about fermentation

If you could sum up The Art of Fermentation in three words, what would they be?

You must really be into food fermentation to enjoy this book. Having said that, this is a wonderful and technical book on fermentation. Everything you want to know about it.

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4 people found this helpful