The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food

by Naomi Duguid

In The Joy of Salt, James Beard Award–winning author Naomi Duguid takes the same approach of researcher, storyteller, and chef that garnered praise and fandom for her previous books Burma and Taste of Persia, but this time focuses on the world’s single most important food ingredient. Through stories, instructions, and over 100 recipes, Duguid illuminates the many foods born from the power of salt—charcuterie, butter, soy sauce, kimchi and sauerkraut, bacalao, and miso—unearthing their importance to their native cuisine and offering home-friendly recipes that highlight the nuances of salt’s flavor. To start, an elevated larder, from Sichuan pepper salt and Japanese gomasio to salt preserved lemons and Moroccan herbed butter, transform one’s cooking arsenal. Then, recipes for vegetables, salads, soups, grains, fish, meat, dairy and more explore the importance of salt in creating depths of umami, savory, and sour flavor. Orange and Black Olive Salad is a balance of Mediterranean tangy and salty. A Bacalao Tortilla celebrates salt cod as a cornerstone of European kitchens. Shio Koji–Marinated Grilled Fish teaches how salt-based products can flavor a dish without any additional salt added. A deep dive into kimchi has recipes for five different takes, and later recipes show the versatility of this fermented staple across many different cuisines. Desserts bring sweet and salty into perfect harmony with recipes for Tamarind Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips and Yogurt Cake with Salted Lemon and Nuts. Sprinkled throughout are snapshots of places where salt is harvested, ingredient profiles for important products, and stories of how salt has impacted histories and cultures. In all, The Joy of Salt answers the once overlooked questions of what salt is, where it comes from, what it does, and how to unlock its flavor to its full potential.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, History, Food History

400 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2022

About the author

Naomi Duguid, traveller, writer, photographer, cook, is often described as a culinary anthropologist.

She is also the author of the acclaimed BURMA: Rivers of Flavor and the co-author of six earlier award-winning books of food and travel: Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through South-East Asia; Seductions of Rice; Flatbreads and Flavors; HomeBaking; Mangoes and Curry Leaves; and Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Stories from the Other China. The books explore home-cooked foods in their cultural context, with recipes and photographs as well as stories.

Reviews

[Sue G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly hope there is some truth to reincarnation because there is so much in this world to learn, more than I can fit into this lifetime This book has inspired me to learn about flavoring, preserving, and cooking with all the different types of salt there are on this planet. And many dishes and condiments to discover. Look beyond the supermarket. There’s a whole world out there.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salty ones, arise. Our time has come. This is a great primer to the world of salt. Being a salt snob, this had lots of interesting recipes and facts about that tasty little mineral we can never get enough of.

[Karel Baloun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked salt, and *now* I love Salt!

Duguid combines detailed anthropological, geographic, and even chemical essays on salt with the passion of a travelog, and the equisitness of a delicious looking cook book. The tremendous diversity of cultures and cuisines represented is astonishing, though even just for the Japanese sections this Toronto native's experience is profound.

When I'm ready to turn to cooking and gardening, this will be the first book for my retirement kitchen.

[Aashna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Miracle of Salt a beautiful and informative cookbook. I love all the short pieces about different salt producing areas and her experiences visiting them. It makes the book feel really personal and enjoyable to read. I am a vegetarian so there aren't a lot of recipes for me to try but the dessert recipes look so good and I'm very excited to try making those since I am a big believer in salt in sweet. Thanks to Netgalley and Annie Mazes at Workman Publishing and Booklist from the What's Cooking Webinar for the ARC!

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar cookbook by Naomi Duguid, this one highlighting salt, one of (if not the most) important ingredient in the culinary world. As always, features gorgeous photography, delicious recipes, and beautiful stories from all over the world in places where salt comes from.

[Ayon Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure trove of information related to salt and food. Yes, there are of course many recipes (and so far, I've liked all the ones I've tried), but also detailed instructions on how to preserve food with salt, the history of how salt became a cornerstone in so many cultures (more than just a necessary nutrient), and many beautiful photographs. She intersperses sections/chapters with some of this history, or anecdotes from her own life as she traveled the world to learn about salt and the countless ways it has been used.

Beyond the content, there is something very old-school about her writing style - it feels like I am reading a book I picked up at a thrift shop, written many decades ago. There is something comforting and mesmerizing about it. To be sure - there is nothing outdated here, as she will explain an old-timey way to preserve some meat with salt to add flavor, and then mindfully offer several alternatives on how to carry out the procedure or procure the ingredients, such as searching on online shops if there isn't a specialty market near you.

I've marked several recipes and preservation techniques I plan to try - can't wait to get to them!

[Anonymouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book so much more than Naomi Duguid's "Taste of Persia" which I reviewed a few years ago. Ms. Duguid dives deep into the chemistry of salt as a preservative and a flavoring. I wish she had delved more into the history of the salt trade but I'm not sure how many readers beyond me would care about it.

The book has several themes that are nicely interwoven in the text: Where salt comes from, how it is harvested, how location and harvesting methods affect the character of different salts, and how salt is used in the cuisines of the world with a strong lean toward Asia. (Too bad.) The recipes are of different kinds too. How to flavor salt. How to use salt to preserve food. How to use preserved foods and flavored salts in cooking.

This is a cookbook I will buy in hardback.

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, the history, the beautiful photos and the tasty recipes ! I made almost all of the flavored salts, the three chili pepper one is my favorite spice blend on everything ! Herbes salées, fresh herbs packed in salt is amazing on potatoes, soups, rice...., it's fabulous ! I got this copy from the library to try out before buying. (I've bought some disappointing cookbooks lately) I've just finished ordering a copy for my shelf

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised by this rating but I promise it’s not just cause I’m a salt-fiend! The whole book revolves around salt, its history across the world, its uses, tasty recipes, and beautiful full color photographs. Favorite parts were learning about Corned Beef, the Pot-Bud Salt recipe haha, and I can’t wait to taste the Butter Cake, and Split-Pea Soup recipes soon!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ARC
An in-depth and interesting deep dive into salt. This is so much more than a cookbook. The photographs are amazing. There is so much information in here and is presented in an approachable and storytelling style. A great book for the food enthusiast on your list.

[Rahmat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5