Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen
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- Create Date：2021-04-07 14:54:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Nancy Singleton Hachisu
- ISBN：1449450881
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Summary
Preserving the Japanese Way， nominated for a 2016 James Beard Award in the International Cookbook category， introduces Japanese methods of salting， pickling， and fermenting that are approachable and easy to integrate into a Western cooking repertoire。 Documentary-quality photo essays reveal the local Japanese communities that support these long-established preservation practices。 It is by Nancy Singleton Hachisu， author of Japanese Farm Food。
Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting， Fermenting， and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen offers a clear road map for preserving fruits， vegetables， and fish through a nonscientific， farm- or fisherman-centric approach。 An essential backdrop to the 125 recipes outlined in this book are the producers and the artisanal products used to make these salted and fermented foods。 The more than 350 arresting photos of the barrel maker， fish sauce producer， artisanal vinegar company， 200 hundred-year-old sake producer， and traditional morning pickle markets with local grandmas still selling their wares document an authentic view of the inner circle of Japanese life。 Recipe methods range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi （Salted Sour Plums）， Takuan （Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran）， and Hakusai （Fermented Napa Cabbage）— to the modern: Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji， Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums， and Small Melons in Sake Lees。 Preserving the Japanese Way also introduces and demystifies one of the most fascinating ingredients to hit the food scene in a decade: koji。 Koji is neither new nor unusual in the landscape of Japan fermentation， but it has become a cult favorite for quick pickling or marinades。 Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community， seasonality as the root of preserved food， and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today。
“In Japan， pickling， fermenting， and salting are elevated as a delicious and refined art form， one that Nancy Singleton Hachisu has mastered。 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。 Nancy understands that salting cherry blossoms and drying squid aren’t just about preserving foods—it's about preserving a way of life。”
—Rick Bayless， author of Authentic Mexican and owner of Frontera Grill
“In her first gorgeous book， Nancy delved into the soul of Japanese country cooking。 In this stunning new volume， we are introduced to the myriad ways of preserving and fermenting that， like the writing and photography， highlight the gentle elegance and beautiful patience of Japanese cookery。”
—Edward Lee， author of Smoke & Pickles and owner of 610 Magnolia
“Even if you never yearned to make your own miso or pickle your own vegetables， this beautiful book will change your mind。 It’s almost impossible to flip through these pages without wanting to join Nancy Singleton Hachisu in the lovely meditation of her cooking。 This book is unlike anything else out there， and every serious cook will want to own it。”
—Ruth Reichl， author of Tender at the Bone and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine
Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting， Fermenting， and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen offers a clear road map for preserving fruits， vegetables， and fish through a nonscientific， farm- or fisherman-centric approach。 An essential backdrop to the 125 recipes outlined in this book are the producers and the artisanal products used to make these salted and fermented foods。 The more than 350 arresting photos of the barrel maker， fish sauce producer， artisanal vinegar company， 200 hundred-year-old sake producer， and traditional morning pickle markets with local grandmas still selling their wares document an authentic view of the inner circle of Japanese life。 Recipe methods range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi （Salted Sour Plums）， Takuan （Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran）， and Hakusai （Fermented Napa Cabbage）— to the modern: Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji， Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums， and Small Melons in Sake Lees。 Preserving the Japanese Way also introduces and demystifies one of the most fascinating ingredients to hit the food scene in a decade: koji。 Koji is neither new nor unusual in the landscape of Japan fermentation， but it has become a cult favorite for quick pickling or marinades。 Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community， seasonality as the root of preserved food， and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today。
“In Japan， pickling， fermenting， and salting are elevated as a delicious and refined art form， one that Nancy Singleton Hachisu has mastered。 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。 Nancy understands that salting cherry blossoms and drying squid aren’t just about preserving foods—it's about preserving a way of life。”
—Rick Bayless， author of Authentic Mexican and owner of Frontera Grill
“In her first gorgeous book， Nancy delved into the soul of Japanese country cooking。 In this stunning new volume， we are introduced to the myriad ways of preserving and fermenting that， like the writing and photography， highlight the gentle elegance and beautiful patience of Japanese cookery。”
—Edward Lee， author of Smoke & Pickles and owner of 610 Magnolia
“Even if you never yearned to make your own miso or pickle your own vegetables， this beautiful book will change your mind。 It’s almost impossible to flip through these pages without wanting to join Nancy Singleton Hachisu in the lovely meditation of her cooking。 This book is unlike anything else out there， and every serious cook will want to own it。”
—Ruth Reichl， author of Tender at the Bone and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine
Reviews
Ruth
，
Beautiful book。 I only got through the first half。 Maybe when I retire I would have time to absorb all of it。
Ryan
，
I enjoyed reading this。 Super interesting and learned a lot about the culture of Japanese preserving on the way。
Misha
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This book is both a 2。5 and a 3。5 star book。 I liked the discursive bits about Japanese foods， but hates the tone of the author's voice。 I picked up the book inthe hopes it would give me an insight into foods and a way of life the way other cookbooks of a certain sort do。 It didn't quite fit the bill， but tended to have interesting chunks。 However， I eventually gave up in it because it simply couldn't hold my interest enough。 There was something I dislike about the author's narrative style， and This book is both a 2。5 and a 3。5 star book。 I liked the discursive bits about Japanese foods， but hates the tone of the author's voice。 I picked up the book inthe hopes it would give me an insight into foods and a way of life the way other cookbooks of a certain sort do。 It didn't quite fit the bill， but tended to have interesting chunks。 However， I eventually gave up in it because it simply couldn't hold my interest enough。 There was something I dislike about the author's narrative style， and I can't quite place it， but it's almost related to a self-effacing smugness。Also， the book is not a good read straight-through。 For whatever reason， a whole first section is devoted to a gloss on Japanese household and cooking terms。 But not in the back like a glossary， but up front by type。 It's off putting even as it might be useful。 It was useful to me BUT only because t made a few terms that came up in a collection of short stories translated from the Japanese I read slightly more interesting。So， was all right to read， but author seems to be writing （it IS in English and she tours the US） for the US market， but many of the recipes we simply wouldn't be able to do here。 It's a hybrid of preserving through doing less common methods of cooking and their way of life， but for a non Japanese audience of slow foodies？ 。。。more
liz
，
the recipes are excellent。 checked this out mostly for the miso recipe。 the physical book is a very nice object and feels good in the hands。 hachisu's commentary is absolutely awful， tho。 half the point of her books is to get a feel for life in the japanese countryside， but she's so unrelatable that most of her stories are either pointless or mildly insulting。 still 4 stars for how much i enjoyed the recipes。 just skim or don't read any of the asides or stories。 the recipes are excellent。 checked this out mostly for the miso recipe。 the physical book is a very nice object and feels good in the hands。 hachisu's commentary is absolutely awful， tho。 half the point of her books is to get a feel for life in the japanese countryside， but she's so unrelatable that most of her stories are either pointless or mildly insulting。 still 4 stars for how much i enjoyed the recipes。 just skim or don't read any of the asides or stories。 。。。more
Stephanie Fleming
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This made me nostalgic for when I lived in Tochigi prefecture！ I've been craving some of the pickles and other foods I used to eat and this has a lot of the things I remember！ Don't know how many recipes I'll try， but has a great base for the kind of cook who wants to know all of the steps to a recipe from the most basic ingredients （even if they may cheat by using pre-made miso！）。 As many others have said， a lot of the ingredients can't really be obtained outside of Japan， though I have some ho This made me nostalgic for when I lived in Tochigi prefecture！ I've been craving some of the pickles and other foods I used to eat and this has a lot of the things I remember！ Don't know how many recipes I'll try， but has a great base for the kind of cook who wants to know all of the steps to a recipe from the most basic ingredients （even if they may cheat by using pre-made miso！）。 As many others have said， a lot of the ingredients can't really be obtained outside of Japan， though I have some hope that the Japanese grocery store I found may have some of the more uncommon ingredients。 Library book 。。。more
Sharon Flynn
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Another inspiration from Nancy Hachisu - this time all about preservation techniques。 It has been enjoyed as more of a flip through and read rather than make book for me as I was already in the depths of my own fermenting life。
Angela
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Enjoyed more for the photos and anecdotes than as an actual cookbook。
Avi
，
I don't like this nearly as much as her first book， but it still has enough interesting recipes， concepts， and anecdotes to make it well worth reading。 I don't like this nearly as much as her first book， but it still has enough interesting recipes， concepts， and anecdotes to make it well worth reading。 。。。more
Annette
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I love the recipes in this book and make them frequently。 I am especially fond of the miso pickling bed and use it religiously！
Lindsay
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Easily one of the worst cookbooks I've ever read。 It came across as sanctimonious， and in general， seemed to be shilling for Eden Foods， something I find more problematic than not given the company's past stance on providing birth control for employees。 The book would have benefited from a stronger hand with editing; there were numerous errors， including the mention of a Japanese grocery store in Portland that closed a year before publication。 Additionally， there was a lot of repeated phrasing， Easily one of the worst cookbooks I've ever read。 It came across as sanctimonious， and in general， seemed to be shilling for Eden Foods， something I find more problematic than not given the company's past stance on providing birth control for employees。 The book would have benefited from a stronger hand with editing; there were numerous errors， including the mention of a Japanese grocery store in Portland that closed a year before publication。 Additionally， there was a lot of repeated phrasing， rambling passages， and ineffective fragments， which seemed to be a favorite sentence construction of the author。 As a fairly skilled home cook who enjoys cooking Japanese food on a regular basis and has a fair amount of technical knowledge where fermenting and pickling is concerned， readers would be better served by Sandor Katz or Linda Ziedrich's various works on preserving。 。。。more
DelAnne Frazee
，
Title: Preserving the Japanese Way - Traditions of Salting， Fermenting and ttPickling for the Modern KitchenAuthor: Nancy Singleton HachisuPublished: 8-11-15Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing8Pages: 400Genre: Food & Wine Sub Genre: Cooking; International Cuisine; Regional CookbooksISBN: 9781449450885ASIN: B00SUGT2Y6Reviewer: DelAnneReviewed For: NetGalley。 Nancy Singleton Hachisu is a transplanted American who has gathered an extensive knowledge of traditional Japanese ways of preserving food Title: Preserving the Japanese Way - Traditions of Salting， Fermenting and ttPickling for the Modern KitchenAuthor: Nancy Singleton HachisuPublished: 8-11-15Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing8Pages: 400Genre: Food & Wine Sub Genre: Cooking; International Cuisine; Regional CookbooksISBN: 9781449450885ASIN: B00SUGT2Y6Reviewer: DelAnneReviewed For: NetGalley。 Nancy Singleton Hachisu is a transplanted American who has gathered an extensive knowledge of traditional Japanese ways of preserving foods and creating sauces and many items we use and enjoy every day。 She has kindly included a glossary of both the Japanese and English terms。 An additional section list a variety of food products the best to preserve them （eg。 fermenting， pickling etc。）。 All of which I was grateful for but mostly I appreciated how she made the processes simple no matter how complicated the seemed at first。 I am looking forward to trying the soy sauce。 Mrs。 Hachisu her passion for preserving the traditional ways for many of the ways the Japanese have preserved items for generations before modern times and factories make them obsolete and they are lost forever。Amazon link: https://www。amazon。com/gp/product/B00。。。Barnes and Noble link: http://www。barnesandnoble。com/w/prese。。。 Goodreads link: https://www。goodreads。com/book/show/2。。。The Reading Room link: https://www。facebook。com/The-Reading-。。。# 。。。more
Aleece
，
A wonderful book that I would love to try and utilize but given where I live I do not think is currently possible （if ever）。 There is a lot of information about the culture as well as the method of salting， fermenting and pickling。 A very interesting read。 I received this advanced copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。
Mona
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beautiful photography but not entirely practical outside of Japan
Caroline Hostettler
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incredible。 i have read it， but it's a book i always will re read。 and work with。 fascinating and in depth。 incredible。 i have read it， but it's a book i always will re read。 and work with。 fascinating and in depth。 。。。more
sabrina caho
，
Kindly provided by NetGalley。 Thank you！It’s a good reference guide， detailed and with pictures to illustrate。It’s dense to read from cover to cover， I skimmed through some of the recipes。
Lara
，
I received an ebook version from NetGalley for review。Overview: This book provides a comprehensive description of a wide variety of preservation techniques that are starting to disappear in Japan。 The author has lived in Japan， and spent time learning techniques and speaking with a number of experts in these techniques。 There are beautiful photos and segments that go into more detail on certain ingredients or techniques。 The title has a double meaning—the book is about Japanese preservation meth I received an ebook version from NetGalley for review。Overview: This book provides a comprehensive description of a wide variety of preservation techniques that are starting to disappear in Japan。 The author has lived in Japan， and spent time learning techniques and speaking with a number of experts in these techniques。 There are beautiful photos and segments that go into more detail on certain ingredients or techniques。 The title has a double meaning—the book is about Japanese preservation methods， and is recording them as they stop being practiced。Contents: The book begins with a forward that describes the Japanese way of life and how it has been changing。 It has ten chapters， each of which covers a different type of preservation， or the use of a fermented or preserved ingredient like soy sauce。 The chapters begin with a discussion of the general topic of the chapter， and each includes supplemental material， such as a description of how soy sauce is made and the differences between different common brands。 There are supplementary sections including a glossary of Japanese ingredients， tables to help identify appropriate preservation techniques for different fruits and vegetables， and table for fish and shellfish。 There is a list of suppliers for the US， Europe， and Australia， a bibliography for those who want to learn more， and a complete index。 The book has a number of photos of the author in her kitchen or making certain foods。 There are also photos taken at businesses and of people who are known for their foods。Recipes: Most recipes do not have photos， but some do， and some have photos showing some of the preparation techniques。 Each recipe begins with a short statement about the recipe， a story， the source， so some other comment。 The recipe name is in English， followed by the transliterated Japanese name。 The number of servings or quantity is provided and all ingredients are clearly named and have amounts in both metric and ounces。 The instructions are more detailed than most， as though you were standing at her side as she is making the recipe。 This is useful for a book that is dedicated to recording techniques so they aren’t lost。 Due to the nature of the book， many ingredients may be hard to find。 Sometimes a substitute is mentioned， and some ingredients are optional， but frequently one may need to shop at an Asian grocery store or mail order ingredients。 In addition， the author stresses the use of organic ingredients， especially as they would be the most authentic。Miso-cured Eggs-this was a simple recipe that I hesitated to make until I found a large package of miso for a reasonable price at a local store。 Two of my eggs cracked when I put them to boil， but that usually happens for me。 Also， my miso was much wetter than that in the photo， more like a thick batter than a paste。 However， the eggs were very good， almost hard boiled with the salty flavor of miso。 I can see making this recipe again。 Tomato， Onion and Pepper Salad—I made a half recipe as the full served 6。 This is a simple salad with the three ingredients listed， then sprinkled with a mixture of oils， rice vinegar and soy sauce。 The recipe called for green pepper， which I assumed was a bell pepper from what I could see in the photo。 The salad was tasty， and my husband and I finished it at lunch。 Even though this was from the soy sauce chapter， it didn’t use much， and tasted more of the toasted sesame oil used。 This was fine by me as I like that flavor。Homemade Ginger Ale—this is a recipe the author couldn’t find in Japan， so she adapted a Western one。 It is simple and makes a syrup to mix with soda water。 It makes a very fresh and tasty ginger ale that tastes much better than store-bought。 It’s also nice that you don’t have to worry about the bottle going flat before you drink it and you can adjust the strength to taste。Techniques: It is less that the techniques are difficult than that they require special equipment and time， sometimes a year or more。 Sources for the special equipment are provided。 Summary: This is a book for the adventurous foodie。 The techniques are described in enough detail to encourage confidence。 The author is forgiving and recognizes that sometimes things don’t work out as planned。 The techniques are exhaustive， and include techniques for preparing dishes with the preserved foods。 It would also make a fascinating conversation book。 。。。more
Leyla Johnson
，
This is really a fabulous book， one that you can dip into when relaxing with lots of information about the food and the traditional methods of preserving。 And one that you can try making some Japanese preserves， I must confess that when I first saw the book my interest was pricked， but I never thought I would make anything in the book， but the recipes are so do-able。 The ingredients aren't hard to find and the methods are easy to follow。 A really instructive and interesting book into the cooking This is really a fabulous book， one that you can dip into when relaxing with lots of information about the food and the traditional methods of preserving。 And one that you can try making some Japanese preserves， I must confess that when I first saw the book my interest was pricked， but I never thought I would make anything in the book， but the recipes are so do-able。 The ingredients aren't hard to find and the methods are easy to follow。 A really instructive and interesting book into the cooking， tradition and culture of a cuisine we love to eat。 Now we can have a hand in making it ourselves。 。。。more
Kim
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Received from Netgalley。Let me start by saying this book is visually beautiful。 The photos， the layout， the stories all work so well。 However。。。some of the recipes seem really unattainable for me even as an experienced cook。 Some ingredients I was not able to find even at the biggest Asian markets in my area or online。 So your mileage may vary with actually being able to use the recipes。I did find some good substitutions and was able to make use of a great bit of it。 I just wish it were more acc Received from Netgalley。Let me start by saying this book is visually beautiful。 The photos， the layout， the stories all work so well。 However。。。some of the recipes seem really unattainable for me even as an experienced cook。 Some ingredients I was not able to find even at the biggest Asian markets in my area or online。 So your mileage may vary with actually being able to use the recipes。I did find some good substitutions and was able to make use of a great bit of it。 I just wish it were more accessible for those of us that do not live in Japan or that the author suggested more substitutions herself。 。。。more
Lili
，
From Netgalley for review:First off， this book is a visual treat， full of beautiful photos of Japanese food， places， and people， if you like your cookbooks very specialized and pretty then you will love this book。 Sadly due to some really stupid food intolerances， I cannot eat much in the way of fermented food， and certainly no soy， but for all that I still enjoyed every moment I spent reading this book。 See， I love traditional Japanese food， one of my favorite cookbooks from my earlier days was From Netgalley for review:First off， this book is a visual treat， full of beautiful photos of Japanese food， places， and people， if you like your cookbooks very specialized and pretty then you will love this book。 Sadly due to some really stupid food intolerances， I cannot eat much in the way of fermented food， and certainly no soy， but for all that I still enjoyed every moment I spent reading this book。 See， I love traditional Japanese food， one of my favorite cookbooks from my earlier days was a book on country cooking in Japan， and the dishes I tried were delicious， this book mirrors the same traditional aesthetic that I love。I also really liked how it was not just a book about food but also about the people who specialize in making the tools and ingredients， it was a beautiful look into both their's and the author's lives。Even if you have no interest in fermenting foods， I recommend this book， doubly so if you love Japanese cooking and culture。 。。。more
Justin
，
Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。The author clearly cares deeply about Japanese culture and fermentation。 This book discusses how many categories of ferments are created and gives recipes that use these ferments。 The author also highlights the makers （e。g。 barrel makers） that are involved in the process。 The book doesn't is centered on using ferments and as such there are only a hand full of recipes for making ferments。I am more interested in making ferments t Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。The author clearly cares deeply about Japanese culture and fermentation。 This book discusses how many categories of ferments are created and gives recipes that use these ferments。 The author also highlights the makers （e。g。 barrel makers） that are involved in the process。 The book doesn't is centered on using ferments and as such there are only a hand full of recipes for making ferments。I am more interested in making ferments than using ferments in cooking。 I am also not particularly knowledgeable in Japanese cooking。 I could see some of the recipes being a bit of culture shock to someone unused to Japanese cooking。 I'd highly recommend this book for people who like Japanese cooking and are interested in fermentation。 。。。more
Katy Hill
，