Sour The Magical Element that Will Transform Your Cooking

Sour is the definitive book on this unique taste. From cheese to vinegar, throughout the centuries we have deliberately let – and even encouraged – food to go sour to enhance its flavor.

Sour foods have never been more fashionable, with the spotlight falling on foodstuffs as disparate as Belgian sour beer and Korean kimchi. But what is it that makes sourness such an enticing, complex element of the eating experience? And what are the best ways to harness sour flavors in your own kitchen?

Mark Diacono sets out to demystify the sour world, and explore why everyone's extolling the virtues of kombucha and fermenting for their digestive health. By grappling with gooseberries and turning his hand to sourdough, experimenting with ultra-cool shrub cocktails, and making his own yogurt, keffir and pickles, Mark tells the story of what makes things sour, and offers recipes that maximize the transformative power of this amazing taste.

Mark Diacono is a food writer, gardener and photographer. His smallholding, Otter Farm, is home to orchards of pecans, peaches, almonds, Szechuan pepper, apricots, a kitchen garden and a vineyard. The Otter Farm Kitchen Garden School is a creative hub for courses, guest speakers and events dedicated to sharing expertise on every step on the journey from plot to plate. Mark was involved in the early years of River Cottage, appearing in the television series, and running courses and events at River Cottage HQ. His book A Year at Otter Farm won the André Simon Food Book of the Year 2015, and A Taste of the Unexpected won the Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the Year 2011; he is also the author of three River Cottage Handbooks. Mark writes regularly for various magazines and newspapers.