This was another one of those books that took a subject that I'm passionate about and wanted to learn more about, and convinced me that I probably shouldn't even try. I know that's not the goal, but it really makes it seem absolutely expensive, fiddly and complicated. I highly recommend Sandor Katz's fermentation books if you want to feel inspired and actually do the things you're reading out. This will be a good fit for people who just want to be impressed with the process or for really hard core folks. It wasn't a good fit for me.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Beautiful photographs and detailed information make this a great addition to culinary collections. Due to the specialized resources and skills, the book will not likely reach general readers and those looking for easy recipes.

A fascinating journey through one of nature's most delicious events — fermentation. This book will not only appeal to kitchen pros, but everyday cooks who want to understand how to build flavor, and learn techniques for preserving and transforming food.

An excellent addition to the growing collection of Noma-inspired cookbooks, the fermentation techniques covered span the everyday and accessible to the more exotic and challenging.

This book is definitely not for the everyday cook. It is full of wonderful pictures and recipes and really gives you ideas on how to use every bit of what you’re working with. The downside is, it’s definitely technical, with the reader needing a good understanding of not only fancy cooking terms, but of science as well. They do a good job of breaking down the explanations, and the beginning of the book is dedicated to understanding the processes and the thinking behind them. This book is for a specific audience, an accomplished cook looking for additional ways to bring their cooking to the next level through both taste and texture, not say, the soccer mom needing to get dinner on the table in between schoolwork and practice.

Such an excellent exploration of fermentation. I thought it was well written and very informative and inspiring. While I still don't personally feel adventurous enough to try some of those I felt it made a very advanced practice seem accessible to chefs outside of celebrated restaurants. I also think this is an exceptional way to preserve the legacy of Noma as one of the most celebrated modern restaurants in the world.