BEFORE the advent of refrigeration, people throughout much of the world relied on the techniques of fermenting, pickling and drying to preserve their foods for lean times of the year and such foods became dietary staples.
Many modern people have forgotten the ancient arts of food preservation - why bother when you can pick up a jar of pickled onions or gherkins from a supermarket shelf or buy fresh or frozen produce in or out of season.
But there's something strangely satisfying about producing food in ways that have been handed down through the centuries if not the millennia and the book Ferment Pickle Dry by Simon Poffley and Gaba Smolinska-Poffley offers a simple and exciting guide to mastering these ancient skills.
More than a recipe book, Ferment Pickle Dry explains the practical techniques and essential supplies needed to master the art, guiding beginners as well as seasoned preservers.
Each recipe goes beyond the central preserved element to suggest a complete modern meal or snack.
Recipes range from classics such as milk yoghurt, pickled gherkins and dried mushrooms to clever creations such as carrot kimchi, pickled honey and garlic or dried pumpkin.
Dishes cover simple meals like sauerkraut rosti to more elaborate combinations such as preserved orange, cuttlefish and ink linguine.
Simon Poffley and Gaba Smolinska-Poffley of The Fermentarium are passionate about growing, preserving and cooking using traditional techniques. Simon teaches sourdough bread baking and is also the founder of the Left Bank Brewery. Gaba's interest for foraging and preserving seasonal produce is rooted in her native Poland. The Fermentarium in London is the creation of like-minded people who want to share their enthusiasm for fermented and preserved foods.
- Ferment Pickle Dry Murdoch Books, wwwmurdochbooks.com.au $39.99
