‘Koji Alchemy unveils the magical mold that pushes culinary boundaries far beyond Japanese tradition.’

--Forbes

‘They say a gram of koji contains millions of spores. Shih and Umansky equal that with insights, bringing scientific understanding to koji’s magical powers of transformation (without spoiling any of the magic). Koji Alchemy is an immensely informative read.’

--Dan Barber, chef/co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns; author of The Third Plate

‘Koji Alchemy is a vital and timely book. Not only does it go deep into the culture of koji and how we can use it to produce amazing misos and charcuteries, it also includes practical advice on how to integrate this knowledge into your existing kitchen system with an HACCP plan. Koji is about flavour through preservation, and this book goes beyond the everyday to demonstrate the beautiful alchemy that arises when you allow koji into your life.’

Jp McMahon, chef and culinary director, EatGalway Restaurant Group

‘Koji Alchemy is a great, well-written book that draws you in from the start, equipping readers with the knowledge needed to discover more about this mysterious ingredient. Koji is well-documented as a core ingredient in Japanese cooking, a starting point with plenty more to be discovered. I love that this book demonstrates how its use for imparting and discovering flavour can be continuously explored in all cuisines. Koji Alchemy is the road map that sets you on that journey.’

‘What an extraordinary book Koji Alchemy is. I leapt headfirst into the section on vinegar, but from there couldn’t resist discovering all the other ways that Shih and Umansky expound on the flavour impact of koji. It’s a book for ingredient geeks, for sure (which I mean as a compliment), but written engagingly enough to appeal to anyone with a serious interest in food. My culinary mind is blown.’

Angela Clutton, author of The Vinegar Cupboard

‘Rich and Jeremy have dedicated years to researching and experimenting with both traditional and utterly novel uses for koji. With Koji Alchemy, they open their notebooks to the rest of us, sharing their deep knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for this remarkable mold. This book, at once comprehensive and approachable, will prove invaluable to any curious cook looking to make more flavorful food, reduce kitchen waste, or experiment at the frontier of an exciting world of fermentation.’

‘It’s not every day that deeply passionate, creative, and collaborative people take on the demystification of a revered ingredient. But herein lies just that: a truly educational, comprehensive, and delicious exploration of one of the most versatile molds out there. So grateful for this book.’

Cortney Burns, chef; author of Nourish Me Home and coauthor of Bar Tartine

‘Koji Alchemy is about discovery. It is about collaboration with microbes and humans. It is about cultural exchange, and most importantly, it is about making flavor. Jeremy and Rich gracefully navigate this ancient art and its modern renaissance that breaks from tradition, bringing us a complete look at this versatile domesticated fungus.’

Jeremy Umansky, along with Allie La Valle-Umansky and Kenny Scott, is a chef/owner of Larder: A Curated Delicatessen & Bakery in Cleveland, Ohio, a from-scratch Eastern European deli focusing on the use and promotion of local and wild foods that was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as the Best New Restaurant in America in 2019. Umansky is as a foremost expert on koji and fermented, preserved, and foraged foods and works as a consultant on the use and creation of these foods and ingredients.

Articles written by and about Umansky's work have appeared in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Saveur, among other outlets.

Rich Shih is one of the leading culinary explorers of koji and miso in the United States and an in-demand food preservation consultant, helping chefs to build their larders and leverage fermentation to decrease waste, and offering ideas with which to experiment. Shih offers both public and private workshops across the United States to share koji knowledge. In addition to working with koji and fermentation, Shih is the Exhibit Engineer for the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) based in New York City. His blog, OurCookQuest, provides a welcome environment for cooks of all experience levels to learn, share knowledge, and exchange ideas.

Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. A self-taught experimentalist who lives in rural Tennessee, his explorations in fermentation developed out of overlapping interests in cooking, nutrition, and gardening. This book, originally published in 2003, along with his The Art of Fermentation (2012) and the hundreds of fermentation workshops he has taught around the world, have helped to catalyze a broad revival of the fermentation arts. Newsweek called Wild Fermentation "the fermenting Bible," and The New York Times calls Sandor "one of the unlikely rock stars of the American food scene." For more information, check out his website www.wildfermentation.com.