Fiery Ferments

The definitive guide to fermenting spicy condiments at home, written by the couple who literally wrote the book on fermenting vegetables. Kirsten and Christopher Shockey follow up their bestselling “Fermented Vegetables” with a book dedicated entirely to the hot and fiery side of fermentation: hot sauces, spicy chutneys, peppery kimchis, fermented mustards, and more.

Why Start Here

Most hot sauce recipes online give you one technique and a handful of variations. This book gives you a complete framework. The Shockeys explain the science of lacto-fermentation clearly enough that you understand what is actually happening in your jar, which means you can troubleshoot problems and invent your own recipes with confidence.

The 70 recipes cover a remarkable range of heat and flavor. You will find everything from a mild fermented green tomato salsa to a scorching habanero mash, along with globally inspired sauces like gochujang, sriracha, harissa, and Aleppo za’atar pomegranate sauce. Each recipe includes a heat index so you know what you are getting into. Beyond the sauces themselves, the book includes dozens of recipes for meals that use your fermented creations, from breakfast dishes to main courses.

What sets this book apart from general fermentation guides is its focus. Instead of covering sauerkraut, kombucha, and hot sauce in separate chapters, every page is dedicated to heat and spice. The Shockeys draw on years of teaching workshops and running their own fermentation operation in southern Oregon, and that hands-on experience shows in the practical, tested advice throughout.

What to Expect

A well-organized 272-page book with color photographs. The opening chapters cover equipment, fermentation science, and an excellent overview of chili pepper varieties and their heat profiles. The recipe sections are organized by type of condiment. Difficulty ranges from dead-simple pepper mashes that require nothing but peppers, salt, and time, to more involved multi-ingredient sauces. Most ferments require one to two weeks of waiting, so plan ahead. A foreword by food historian Darra Goldstein provides historical context for humanity’s long love affair with spicy fermented foods.