For her thirtieth birthday, some years ago, Antwerp-based food journalist and chef Barbara Serulus received a living, life-changing gift from a friend: a Scoby, short for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast,” the spongy “tea mushroom” commonly used as a starter for kombucha. “My life did change because, from that moment on, fermented drinks have had me under their spell,” she writes in her book Fizz: The Beginner’s Guide to Making Natural, Non-Alcoholic Fermented Drinks (BIS Publishers). Illustrated with artwork by chef Elise van Iterson, it’s a thoroughly readable guide to fermentation, filled with entertaining historical anecdotes and practical tips, methods, and recipes.