Homebrewer and writer Derek Dellinger began a journey that would change nearly everything he thought he knew about fermented food and drink, and as a beer expert he knew a great deal. For an entire year, Dellinger would eat or drink only microbe-made foods. Exploring the vast world of fermentation, he became the living embodiment of its cultural and nutritional power, transforming himself into the Fermented Man. In this entertaining and informative narrative, Dellinger catalogues his year spent on this unorthodox diet, revealing insights about the science of fermentation, its cultural history, culinary value and nutritional impact along the way. He goes beyond old favourites like yogurt and sauerkraut to show us how fermentation occurs in a wide range of foods we might never have expected, and is at the root of many unique delicacies around the world. From sampling mucous-green Century Eggs in Chinatown, to a winter quest to Iceland for rotten shark meat, he investigates a realm of forgotten foods that is endlessly complex and surprisingly flavourful. And despite our collective aversion to bacteria, Dellinger's experience and research reveals that it is these same microbes that may hold the key to a healthy diet.
