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ISBN: 9798893030778
Publishing: August 19, 2025
Price: $30.00 US / $39.00 CAN
Paper Over Boards: 272 pages
Subject: Food & Drink
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Third-Culture Fermentation
Modern, Accessible Recipes from My Japanese-American Kitchen
by Kenji Morimoto
 

An accessible introduction to the world of fermentation, with inventive, gut-friendly recipes inspired by global food traditions

For far too long, fermentation has been the preserve of the ultra-foodie. But these techniques don’t need to be complicated or require lots of hard-to-source ingredients. Drawing on his multicultural background and passion for all things fermentation, Kenji Morimoto has created a clear, confident, accessible, and joyful guide to home preservation—plus recipes for incorporating homemade (or store-bought, if that’s more your speed) ferments and pickles into everyday meals, snacks, and even cocktail hour.

If you’ve been wary of fermentation until now, never fear. From straightforward Fermentation 101 and Pickling 101 overviews to help you learn the basics, to FAQs and troubleshooting tips, Third-Culture Fermentation sets you on a solid foundation before setting you free to experiment. Next, Morimoto shares recipes for his favorite ferments, including many inspired by his heritage and given modern, multicultural twists, like Fennel and Turmeric Kimchi, miso five ways, Koji Chimichurri Paste, cheong (a Korean fermented fruit syrup), and a plethora of kombuchas. Finally, fifty flavorful and gut-friendly recipes for everything from Kimchi and Feta Spanakopita to Rhubarb Cheong Pavlova will help you actually use your homemade ferments—no more mystery jars languishing at the back of the fridge for months.

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into fermenting, looking for inspiring ideas to take your standard kombucha recipe to the next level, or simply trying to work more natural probiotic powerhouses into your diet, this book is for you.

“This book is a beautifully crafted and illustrated guide to the subtle arts of preserving food that will make us all feel ready to start fermenting today.”—Tim Spector, author of Spoon-Fed and founder of the nutrition app ZOE

“Kenji demystifies fermentation, so now you too can make fermenting as instinctive as reaching for salt. This book is an open-hearted collection of stories, practical tips and excellent recipes.”—Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

“I know I'm in safe hands with Kenji's fermentation wisdom and approachable yet exciting recipes—I can't wait to get stuck in.”—Leyla Kazim, travel and food writer

Kenji Morimoto is a fourth-generation Japanese American currently based in London. Food is an essential part of his cultural identity; as a child, he was in charge of making tsukemono (Japanese pickles) for family gatherings, and as an adult his passion for exploring global fermentation traditions has only grown. During the pandemic, he started his Instagram @kenjcooks to document his interest in fermentation and connect the dots between diasporic food traditions and his own. Since then, he’s cooked in fermentation-focused kitchens in Poland, run fermentation-based supper clubs, led workshops on koji and kimchi, partnered with companies such as MOB, Tasty UK, and Sous Chef, and worked with the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen as a guest chef. He was a finalist for the 2023 BBC Food and Farming Digital Creator of the Year Award.