Book cover of The Art of Fermentation

Book description

'...The high priest of fermentation theory' the Guardian

'Sandor Katz's teachings and writings on fermentation have changed lives around the world.' Dan Saladino, The Food Programme BBC

The bible for the D.I.Y set: detailed instructions for how to make your own sauerkraut, beer, yogurt and pretty much everything involving microorganisms.…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

3 authors picked The Art of Fermentation as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is the bible of fermentation.

Once again, being a Polish cook, I felt I knew a fair bit about fermentation, yet this book opened my eyes to so many different traditions and processes. This is the kind of book everyone needs in their kitchens because if you are at all interested in fermenting (and you should be because it’s one of the best things you can do for your health), then you will come back to it again and again.

From Zuza's list on wild foods and ancient ways.

For me, Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions, is the mother of the traditional foods movement, and Sandor Katz is the father of fermentation.

The first book I discovered from Sandor was Wild Fermentation. It was a modest paperback, but it was packed with information on how to make ferments! It was so popular among traditional foods cooks that Sandor released a second edition with expanded information. Still, we were hungry for more, so Sandor wrote The Art of Fermentation.

This book is a New York Times Bestseller and a James Beard Foundation award winner. Sandor covers every…

Katz’s book may not be directly linked to cocktails in terms of providing recipes for drinks, but it has an encyclopedic level of information on how to extract ultimate flavours from ingredients through fermentation. This book has information for novices and practiced fermenters alike.

From sour tonic beverages and kombuchas to fermenting fruit and vegetables, this book will take your ingredient making skills to a level unmatched, even within the high-end cocktail bar world.

From Noel's list on to improve cocktail making.

If you love The Art of Fermentation...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Art of Fermentation?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 14 books like The Art of Fermentation.

Browse books like The Art of Fermentation

Book cover of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Book cover of Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Book cover of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,298

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Art of Fermentation, you might also like...

Book cover of Karl's War

Karl's War by Neil Spark,

Karl's War is a coming-of-age-meets-thriller set in Germany on the eve of Hitler coming to power. Karl – a reluctant poster boy for the Nazis – meets Jewish Ben and his world is up-turned.

Ben and his family flee to France. Karl joins the German army but deserts and finds…

Book cover of Girl in the Ashes

Girl in the Ashes by Douglas Weissman,

Odette Lefebvre is a serial killer stalking the shadows of Nazi-occupied Paris and must confront both the evils of those she murders and the darkness of her own past.

This young woman's childhood trauma shapes her complex journey through World War II France, where she walks a razor's edge…

5 book lists we think you will like!