The Fermented Man: A Year on the Front Lines of a Food Revolution - Softcover

Dellinger, Derek

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1468314858 ISBN 13: 9781468314854

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2017

Synopsis

On January 1, 2014, homebrewer and writer Derek Dellinger began a journey that would change everything he thought he knew about fermented food and beverage. For an entire year, Dellinger ate and drank only products that had been created by microbes. Exploring the vast world of fermentation, he became the living embodiment of its cultural and nutritional power―he became the Fermented Man.In this highly entertaining narrative, Dellinger catalogs his year spent on this unorthodox diet, revealing insights about the science of fermentation as well as its cultural history, culinary value, and nutritional impact. All the while, readers accompany Dellinger as he forages for living bacteria in the modern American grocery store, samples mucousy green Century Eggs in Chinatown, and embarks on an epic quest to Iceland for rotten shark meat, investigating a realm of forgotten foods that is endlessly complex and surprisingly flavorful. With bonus recipes for readers eager to get off the page and into the kitchen, The Fermented Man is an adventure story, culinary history, and science project all in one.

About this title

About the Author:

Derek Dellinger is a writer, brewer, and fermentation enthusiast based in the Hudson Valley. He is the brewmaster at Kent Falls Brewing Company, the first farmhouse brewery in the state of Connecticut (and undoubtedly the only brewery in the area spontaneously fermenting beers outside of a barn in an old milk chiller). Derek also writes about homebrewing, fermentation, food, and beer for a number of publications, including his blog, www.bear-flavored.com.

Review:

“Dellinger ably explains the wide range of fermented foods, the role flavor plays, health benefits, and the basic processes, and he includes a few recipes. The author hopes his intriguing experiments will open eyes and palates to the culinary and health benefits of fermented foods.”
- Kirkus

“In this tell-all food memoir, Dellinger recounts the highs and lows of the experiment, delves into the science and history of fermentation, and examines its culinary value and nutritional impact. With an engaging writing style and keen sense of humor, he jumps into Michael Pollan food territory with a Hemingwayesque sense of personal adventure”
- Chronogram

“Dellinger brings his bubbling ferments to the page, helping to propel American food culture into a more delightful and nutritious future.  Through his eyes and gut we get a unique invitation to taste a surprising array of foods as alive as our own bodies. Do not be disconcerted.  Let this delicious state of affairs expand your mind―and what you eat.”
- David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, authors of The Hidden Half of Nature

“Derek Dellinger has crafted a personal tale that is much in keeping with what we are as humans. Fermented foods and beverages have been fundamental to the human condition since we first appeared in the Paleolithic period on the planet, and have much to do with what we are today, physically and culturally.”
- Patrick E. McGovern, author of Uncorking the Past and Ancient Wine

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1468314858
• ISBN 13: 9781468314854
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288