Sandor Ellix Katz (born May 20, 1962) is an American

food writer Food writing is a genre of writing that focuses on food and includes works by food critics, food journalists, chefs and food historians. Definition Food writers regard food as a substance and a cultural phenomenon. John T. Edge, an American food ...

and

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

food activist.

Work

A self-described " fermentation fetishist", Katz has taught hundreds of food workshops around the United States, and his book ''

Wild Fermentation ''Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods'' is a 2003 book by Sandor Katz that discusses the ancient practice of fermentation. While most of the conventional literature assumes the use of modern technology, ''Wi ...

'' (2003) has been called a classic, "the bible for people embarking on DIY projects like

sourdough Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities. History In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microbi ...

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , "sour cabbage") is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria fe ...

", and "especially notorious for getting people excited about fermenting food". He was named one of '' Chow'' magazine's top "provocateurs, trendsetters, and rabble-rousers" in 2009.

Personal life

Born to an

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

family with origins in Eastern Europe, Katz grew up in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

. His grandparents immigrated from

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

in 1920, then part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. He is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, an AIDS survivor, and began his fermentation experimentation while living in a rural, off-the-grid

Radical Faerie The Radical Faeries are a loosely affiliated worldwide network and countercultural movement seeking to redefine queer consciousness through secular spirituality. Sometimes deemed a form of modern Paganism, the movement also adopts elements from ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...

in Tennessee.

Popular culture

Katz was the subject of the 2009 punk rock song " Human(e) Meat (The Flensing of Sandor Katz)", a satirical

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

response to Katz's 2006 chapter on "Vegetarian Ethics and Humane Meat" in '' The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved''.

Bibliography

* * * * * *

References

External links

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1L46xWCWCo
wildfermentation.com
Sandor Katz's official site
''Sandorkraut''
a portrait of Sandor Katz (2014, 12 min) * * Zeichner, Walter.

' (archived 2014). Out in the Mountains. {{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Sandor 1962 births Living people Jewish American writers American Ashkenazi Jews American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent LGBT Jews American gay writers Radical Faeries members American food writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers James Beard Foundation Award winners American male non-fiction writers People with HIV/AIDS 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American Jews Food activists