Description
Full of information, stories, and good clear technical descriptions, this book is also very moving, with illuminating discussions of language, geography, identity, history, and culture, really big topics.
Sandor Ellix Katz, Author of The Art of Fermentation
… an amazing insight into another world in the culinary universe.
Ken Hom, Author & TV Host
The story of how milk is transformed through fermentation into a rich assortment of dairy products is fascinating and one which Dr Simi Rezai-Ghassemi relishes telling. She combines academic rigor and intellectual curiosity with a storyteller’s skill, creating an engrossing and eminently readable book.
Jenny Linford, food writer and podcaster, producer & presenter of Food FM Radio’s “A Slice of Cheese ”
Long before probiotics and microbiome research, humans discovered the quiet magic of fermentation. This book, written by an indigenous Āzarbāijāni scholar, introduces the fermented dairy of Central Asia, revealing how milk from female mammals, and the fertile lands that sustained them, gave rise to foods that nourished societies and shaped global diets and identities.
Through her research and storytelling, she shows how these traditions have persisted across centuries, linking ancestral practices to the foods we eat and the culinary identities we share today.
Taking an evolutionary perspective, the author traces how animal domestication, human dietary adaptations, and long-term cultural practices intertwined, to make fermented dairy a cornerstone of survival. She highlights women’s essential roles as keepers of culinary knowledge, creativity, and resilience, and shows how fermentation functioned both as a survival strategy and a driver of innovation. Fermentation emerges as a practice that connects science, culture, and biology in ways that remain vital in contemporary food systems.
Traveling from the grasslands and yurts of the vast steppe to modern kitchens, readers experience how these foods have shaped identity, community, and culture. They uncover the meanings of both familiar and lesser-known fermented dairy names, explore connections between language, history, and taste, and immerse themselves in the textures, aromas, and flavors that bring these traditions to life.
Accessible, sensory-rich, and deeply personal, this book invites fermenters, food lovers, and scholars alike to explore the enduring legacy of fermented dairy, its cultural significance, and its power to nourish both our bodies and our shared heritage.
About the Author
Simi Rezai-Ghassemi
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Simi Rezai-Ghassemi is a cookery teacher, writer, food researcher, organic gardener, and Iran food tour guide. She was born in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. Simi is a self-taught cook, coming to gardening and cooking later in life. When her friend’s children were diagnosed with coeliac disease and couldn’t eat dairy either, Simi shared a few Iranian recipes, the start of Simi’s Kitchen in Bath. Somerset. She is a specialist in the food of the Silk Route and allergen-free cooking. She is a regular at the Oxford Symposium on Food. Simi travels regularly to Iran to visit family, research recipes and ingredients which she hares in her classes and writing. Simi’s Kitchen has been featured in The Guardian, The Foodie Bugle, Kinfolk and Bath Life magazines.