Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen

by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, David Tanis (Foreword by)

Overview

This beautifully illustrated guide by the author of Japanese Farm Food includes essential Japanese pantry tips and 125 recipes.

In Preserving the Japanese Way, Nancy Singleton Hachisu offers step-by-step instructions for preserving fruits, vegetables, and fish using the age-old methods of Japanese farmers and fishermen. The recipes feature ingredients easily found in grocery stores or Asian food markets, such as soy sauce, rice vinegar, sake, and koji.

Recipes range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi (Salted Sour Plums), Takuan (Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran), and Hakusai (Fermented Napa Cabbage)— to modern creations like Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji, Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums, and Small Melons in Sake Lees. 

Hundreds of full-color photos offer a window into the culinary life of Japan, from barrel makers and fish sauce producers to traditional morning pickle markets. More than a simple recipe book, Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community, seasonality, and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today.

“This is a gorgeous, thoughtful—dare I say spiritual—guide to the world of Japanese pickling written with clarity and a deep respect for technique and tradition.” —Rick Bayless, author of Authentic Mexican and owner of Frontera Grill

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449460945
Publisher:	Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	650,875
File size:	83 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Native Californian Nancy Singleton Hachisu has lived with her Japanese farmer husband and three sons in their traditional Japanese farmhouse for the last 27 years in rural Japan, where she served as leader of a local Slow Food convivium for more than a decade. Her first book, Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McMeel, September 2012), was praised in the New York Times, London Times, the LA Times and more. TBS and Fuji TV are currently documenting Hachisu's preserving and farm food life in rural Saitama as well as her visits to artisanal producers in more remote areas of Japan.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/01/2015
Hachisu (Japanese Farm Food), an American living on an organic farm in rural Japan, here explores the ancient Japanese traditions of preserving. While conventional recipes often call for large amounts of ingredients and ferment or dry for days, weeks, and/or even months outdoors, Hachisu's recipes can be made in smaller quantities in modern Western kitchens. Dishes include eggplant pickled in soy mustard, sake ice cream with figs, thinly sliced ginger pickles, and homemade soy milk. The copious, clear photos, equivalent measures, lists of resources and recommended shops, and the author's many cooking tips make this an important reference. Her introductions to traditional craftspeople, well-known chefs, culinary experts, and entrepreneurs transport readers around the globe, creating a cookbook that reads like a hard-to-put-down novel or a travel diary. VERDICT A useful and distinct resource.—Ruth Amernick, San Francisco P.L.

Library Journal