Fermenter

September 1, 2023
Adams, the Portland-based owner of Fermenter restaurant, encourages intrepid souls to face their fears, mold spores above all. He explains how to make all things fermented, from tempeh, kraut, and koji (fermented rice), to ginger beer, kombucha, and kefir-cultured or wine-washed cheeses, and then pulls them together in unpretentious dishes like a BBQ tempeh sandwich or koji beet Reuben. Grainy photography and mixed media collage art lend a punk vibe to the cookbook. But short attention spans beware: this is a study for the slow-food crowd. Fermenting takes preparation, concentration, and patience, and the completed dishes require several advance-prepped recipes before everything can be thrown together on a plate or in a bowl. But with chapter titles like "eat your salty, sour vegetables" and "mold is gold," the most bold and adventurous will be called forth to the kitchen to experiment. Recommended for those who are eager to get serious about food, strap on a mask to save their noses from the odors of fermentation, and use the kitchen as their home laboratory.

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