For the development of oat miso, Hebridean dashi, peat smoked oatcakes,
koji cheddar and beyond.
| Title | Author | Why | Theme | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential reading — foundational methodology | ||||
| 1.1 The Noma Guide to Fermentation | René Redzepi & David Zilber | The foundational text for thinking about local ingredients through universal fermentation processes. Read it for its methodology, not its recipes. | Methodology | Book |
| 1.2 Nordic Food Lab Archive | Nordic Food Lab | The research notebooks behind Noma's philosophy. A rich collection of experiments, fieldwork, fermentation research, flavour studies, and ingredient investigations that demonstrate how to build knowledge from place. | Research | Online |
| 1.3 Koji Alchemy | Jeremy Umansky & Rich Shih | Expands fermentation into a creative design tool. It shows how enzymes and koji can transform almost any ingredient, making it especially valuable for developing original Scottish ferments such as oat miso or barley shoyu. | Koji | Book |
| 1.4 Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art | Shizuo Tsuji | One of the clearest explanations of Japanese culinary principles, particularly dashi, seasonality, balance, and ingredient-first cooking. It teaches the thinking behind the techniques rather than simply presenting recipes. | Principles | Book |
| 1.5 On Food and Cooking | Harold McGee | The definitive reference for food science. Understanding the chemistry of flavour, enzymes, proteins, starches, and fermentation allows you to invent confidently rather than relying on imitation. | Science | Book |
| Title | Author | Why | Theme | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential reading — place, heritage & wild ingredient | ||||
| 2.1 The Scots Kitchen | F. Marian McNeill | The essential work on Scottish food heritage. More valuable as an ethnography than a cookbook, documenting seasonal traditions, regional ingredients, preservation methods, and the cultural rhythms of Scottish cooking. | Heritage | Book |
| 2.2 Scottish Wild Harvests | Linda Mellor | A practical guide to Scotland's edible landscape, covering wild plants, fungi, fruits, and coastal ingredients. Excellent for developing a deeper relationship with local biodiversity. | Foraging | Book |
| 2.3 The Hebridean Baker | Coinneach MacLeod | A contemporary expression of island food culture rooted in the Hebrides. While not experimental, it provides important cultural context and a strong sense of place. | Place | Book |
| 2.4 Seaweed in the Kitchen | Fiona Bird | A focused exploration of Scottish seaweeds, their culinary uses, and their diversity. Particularly relevant for projects exploring ideas such as Hebridean dashi and coastal fermentation. | Coastal | Book |
| 2.5 The Scottish Wild Food Bible | Mike Tomkies | A broad field reference covering Scotland's edible plants, fungi, shellfish, seaweeds, and game. Useful as an ongoing source of inspiration when identifying new ingredients and possibilities. | Field ref. | Book |
| Dashi | Brìgh na Mara Essence of the Sea |
| Horseradish | Teine na Talmhainn Fire of the Earth |
| Mushroom ketchup | Dubhar na Coille Shadow of the Forest |