This seemed like the perfect book to include in fresh-start January: Fresh & Fermented: 85 Delicious Ways to Make Fermented Carrots, Kraut, and Kimchi Part of Every Meal
Layout and design:
The book is laid out in perfect order, and I loved the overall look of the book, the fonts, and the design elements. Color is used well throughout, and the coated paper is pleasing to the touch. Chapter 1 lays out the foundation for fermentation and the health benefits, and answers many questions readers might have. Their writing style is friendly and approachable. Chapters 2 and 3 cover their basic kraut recipes, and then the following chapters cover Smoothies & Drinks, Morning Meals, Quick Bites, Salads, Sandwiches, Veggies & Grains, Main Meals, and Desserts.
Photography:
The photos by Charity Burggraaf are beautiful, and include beauty shots for some of the recipes, how-to shots, and ingredient shots as well. Julie Hopper styled the food. The photos combine with the vibrant interior design to give the impression that every dish is photographed.
Recipes:
The recipes are intriguing, to say the least. Here’s what caught my eye: kimchi gazpacho drink, cardamom chia breakfast bowl, kraut over kitchari, firefly kimcheese dip, powerkraut salad, smoked salmon reuben, baked cortido polenta, emerald city meatloaf, sweet and sauer chocolate pudding.
What I liked about the book:
Loved the tone, the photography, the how-to photos, and the creativity of the recipes, which blew me away.
I wasn’t so keen on:
Recipes were not coded for special diets; nutritional analysis is not provided, which would be helpful for low-sodium eaters. My guess is, that due to the salt level specified, these are not low-sodium recipes, but I can’t be sure either way.
Recommended for the following diets:
paleo, vegan, vegetarian, celiac, gluten-free, reduced-sugar, dairy-free, anti-candida
Not recommended for:
Migraine or low-sodium diets (fermented foods can be a trigger)
A note about my cookbook reviews: In the past, I tested at least three recipes from each book. Due to my dietary limitations (extremely-low-sodium for my Meniere’s Disease and trigger-free foods for migraine relief), it is no longer possible for me to test the recipes and do them justice.
Required FTC disclosure: I received one copy of this book from the publisher for the giveaway on January 30th.
Here’s the book if you want to see more:
I had no idea there were that many recipes for/with fermented foods! Being Russian, I like all kinds of fermented cabbage types of foods (I know sauerkraut is German, but we eat lots of similar things), but I didn’t know there was more to the world of fermented cooking other than sauerkraut and kim chi. Very interesting!
Sorry to hear you are not able to try the recipes from this book :(
I have made a small batch of broccoli-leaf kraut as I was so inspired by this book, and will test it next week to see if it causes headaches or triggers a migraine attack for me.
I really like your straight forward style in reviewing the book. Great photos.
Thanks Sandy! I’ve been reviewing books a long time, I’m glad you like my format.
Oh too bad about the sodium. I do need to learn more about fermentation, although there is info out there. I don’t do well with the least bit of sodium–hands and eyelids swell first–not a pretty site.
The photos really pop from that cookbook! I had no idea fermented foods were a migraine trigger, well I guess I knew some were – just hadn’t thought about it!