Miracle of Salt

Miracle of Salt offers a mesmerizing mix of recipes and food history. Publishers Weekly awarded it a STARRED REVIEW, noting its unique appeal. Diana Henry, writing for The Telegraph (U.K.) in The Best Cookbooks to Buy in Autumn 2022, praises Naomi Duguid for having "a scholar's love of research, a cook's hunger, and a journalist's talent for storytelling." She admires the staggering variety of global recipes Duguid includes and declares the book "simply brilliant."

Naomi Duguid, known for taking food lovers on culinary journeys around the globe, now invites readers on a different kind of adventure—a deep dive into the miracle of salt and its crucial role in preserving, fermenting, and transforming food.

Learn age-old techniques for making sauerkraut, miso, butter, prosciutto, kimchi, salt-fermented pickles, basturma, salt-preserved lemons, and brined eggs, among many other delectable creations. Craft a vibrant "salt pantry" with enticing blends of salt and spices and easy condiments and preserves such as Spiced Green Mango Pickle and Dried Shrimp and Garlic Chutney. Discover essential salt-preserved flavourings like soy sauce, fish sauce, pickled plums, salted anchovies, and salt cod.

The wide range of international recipes that follow encourages you to utilise this umami-rich larder of salt-preserved ingredients and salted flavourings to transform vegetables, soups, mains, pasta dishes, and desserts. Delight your palate with an Orange and Black Olive Salad that balances tangy and salty elements or enhance stir-fries with the intense flavour of Black Bean Sauce. The Bacalao Tortilla pays homage to salt cod as a cornerstone of European kitchens. Shio Koji, a simple salt-fermented ingredient, imparts subtle power and flavour to grilled vegetables and other foods. Kebabs marinated with a blend of pomegranate molasses and fish sauce celebrate salty-sweet-tart umami.

Saltiness adds a new dimension to sweets and desserts, from Creamy Candied Ginger and Miso Ice Cream to Yogurt Cake with Salted Lemon and Nuts, and from Breton Salted-Butter Cake to Miso Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips.

Engaging with salt-preserved and salt-fermented ingredients not only unveils a rich, new world of flavours and techniques but also connects cooks with generations of culinary wisdom.