From beer and kombucha to hot sauce and kimchi, fermented foods and drinks are everywhere. Though it once might have felt like a fleeting trend, fermentation has a long culinary history, especially in the southern United States, where the hotter climate and agricultural tradition of the region helped foster the use of fermentation as a means of preserving foods. With Southern Culture on the Fizz, Brett Taubman offers an easy-to-use and fun fermentation guide, complete with fermentations that focus on southern ingredients. Each section provides in-depth coverage of the history of these ferments, the science behind the ferments, an overview of the current landscape of fermented products in the South, and a look to their future.
Filled with dozens of recipes, expert guidance on the process, and safety considerations, as well as the necessary equipment, this guide ensures readers have the information they need to start fermenting or take their fermentation game to the next level. This book also provides readers—novice and experienced fermenters alike—with the historical context and relevant scientific information lacking in other books and keeps them engaged from beginning to end.
About the Author:
Dr. Taubman is a Professor in the A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences at Appalachian State University. He earned BS degrees in Finance and Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and Montana State University, respectively, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Maryland in 2004. Following his graduate studies, he worked as a Post-doctoral Research Associate at the Pennsylvania State University before joining the faculty at Appalachian in 2007. Dr. Taubman’s research focuses on the chemistry of fermentation as it relates to beer, filamentous fungi, and the removal of anti-nutritional compounds in foods and beverages. He has successfully developed an instructional fermentation facility at Appalachian State and serves as President of Ivory Tower, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with the mission of supporting research and education within fermentation sciences. Dr. Taubman helped to develop the four-year degree program in Fermentation Sciences at Appalachian State, for which he is currently the Director.