It’s high time I mention my food writing for Ferment: Poland’s luxe new print glossy devoted to wine, launched in the Spring of 2017 by the zealous team behind Winicjatywa, with acclaimed wine writer Ewa Wieleżyńska at the helm. My column, which I’ve been writing since the quarterly’s inaugural issue, deals in facts and myths. Six rounds in, I’m surprised to find that this sort of bullet-by-bullet writing has been not easier, but actually more challenging than weaving together a longer, more literary essay. Hardship notwithstanding, I’ve come to enjoy the discipline required by such a binary approach. Those who know me won’t be surprised that I’ve come to relish setting the facts straight on a given subject—particularly when that subject is edible, fascinating, photogenic, and a pleasure to explore in newfangled detail.

So far, I’ve written about olive oil, salt, poppy seeds, sushi, garlic, and those dreamy pignoli.

I’d like Fakty i Mity to continue, but the editors at Ferment are suggesting I switch from this rulebook style to a more fluid essay format, more akin to what I was writing for Magazyn Wino before Ferment came along. It remains to be seen how this will play out, including whether I wind up finding a new outlet for all those facts and myths I have yet to share. If not, my informational oeuvre will have ended up short but still sweet. See for yourself, I’m including a sampler.

Note: The photos are mine (come to think of it, both in the magazine and of it), but the phenomenal layouts are all by Warsaw-based designer and illustrator Marta Konarzewska.