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

Great book, written by an author who truly walks the walk!

Like any other ethnic cuisine in the US unless you live in one of the major metropolitan areas you are limited to the Americanized versions of that cultures dishes. Japanese food is a wonderful mix of art and taste that has long intrigued me. In my mind the main course is the easy part,,, traditional meals are made special by the accompaniments that support the main event. This cookbook illustrates and educates the reader on some very easy as well as more complex ways in which to enrich your Japanese food repertoire... I live in New England and am very exited to try some of the methods using fresh local produce as well as using the resources listed to provide authentic ingredients. I love to make a recipe using local and exotic to come up with a way to support local business while providing my guests with unique presentations and flavors.

Can't say enough good things about this author and her line of books on living in Japan! They are definitely more "culture/history/slice of life" books than a cookbook though. But they are huge like a college text book full of amazing details and beautiful pictures. This lady is so passionate about living the authentic, old school way of Japanese life! She won multiple awards for her historical culture preserving efforts and anyone who has an interest in Japanese culture will love these books on her farm life. I bough both for my young teenage daughter for Christmas who really loves Japan and she was thrilled! I would recommend you buy both the preserving and the farm food book as they go together like a series.

This is a very well written and educational book about methods of pickling and fermenting in Japan. The love of natural artisan products is clear and the photography is great! I tried a variety of the simpler pickling recipes and I couldn't tell if the results were good. The ingredients discussions are detailed and inspiring which are the best parts of the book. However, as a Japanese American, I grew up eating and making some simple pickles and the texture and tastes of the recipes are quite different from what I'm accustomed and prefer.

Lush, beautiful, and definitely a storybook as much as a cookbook. I live in an area where Japanese markets are not difficult to find so I can source some of the special ingredients without much effort. If you live in an area where that's not the case, there's always online shopping. Either way, this is a good book for learning about Japanese food AND culture from an American immigrant's perspective. It's a heavy, tactile book and delightful to flip through while reading snippets of this and that. I recommend it for those who enjoy food, stories, travel, and understanding other cultures. If all you want is recipies, maybe this isn't for you. But maybe it is.

Beautiful but a little overwhelming in its depth. I’m sure it will take me months to digest.

My fault for impulse buying and not looking more closely at the contents of the book. The book does not really function as a handbook or resource for Japanese pickles. There is no scientific depth to the explanations which is a necessary component for any book dealing with fermented foods, IMO. The book is mostly recipes mixed in with anecdotes, personal stories about the author's experiences in Japan, and some history on the tradition of preserved foods in Japan. I was not the target audience for this book.

One of the most fascinating, beautiful, well-researched and wonderful books I have ever read. It could be a compelling novel but it's a spectacular cookbook that provides recipes many people have never heard of. The best pictures of traditional artisans at work and food preparation of any book I have read in the last 50 years. I just finished reading the book again. This time I had tried a few things with rather easy to get ingredients in the US (like koji-kin to make shio-koji or shoyu-koji that are so much tastier, nutritious and useful in my professional and home kitchens than I had imagined. Nancy is doing an East coast tour this month and I can't wait to see her!

Ignore the bitter envy of the review-writer who felt that this was a lifestyle brag and not a cookery book. This is a marvellous book, written in clear English (with metric, imperial and American units) which gives an easy-to-follow introduction to the subject of Japanese preserves.

What is the use of a 'cookbook' that tells you more about the author's exalted and oh so special way of life than about the actual recipes. One gets the constant hint that yes you may try but you'll never be as good as me for you can not buy the very special ingredients from that very exclusive local producer! Instead of a useful cookbook, this is all about an ego trip!

This book is fantastic, I have Japan also written by NSH and I think this is actually better (as much as I love Japan) it is more personable and feels more focussed

Very enjoyable book about the Japanese way of fermenting foods. It is not just a recipe book, but, a cultural guide of how Japaneses process food. Nice edition, lots of pictures.

A great introduction to JAPANESE pickles