0608 Feat Gastronomy

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pg 3434 06.08 • www.ift.org

BY GRACE S. YEK and KURT STRUWE

Faux caviar made with apple juice

from El Bulli restaurant in Spai n.

Photo © Maurizio Borgese/Hemis/Corbis



06.08 • www.ift.org pg35

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose byany other name would smell as sweet.” I onlyShakespeare knew, some 400 years later, how

aptly those words would capture the quandary in whichwe nd ourselves with regard to molecular gastronomy . It

has many names: culinary alchemy, avant-garde cooking,scientic cooking, scientic cuisine, progressive cook-ing, experimental cuisine, and molecular cooking … but is it all the same? Many believe it represents a newculinary genre that those out there ches do. Reactionsto this new culinary movement range rom enthusiasm, buoyant with oam sauces and bubbling liquid nitrogen,to perplexed looks or mutterings o disapproval. Withwhat appears to be ree-orm dots scattered over theculinary map, perhaps it’s time to connect those dots.

Molecular gastronomy was born in 1988, when twoscientists, Nicholas Kurti and Herve This, created a newscientic discipline to investigate culinary transorma-

tions, specically the chemistry and physics behind thepreparation o ood (This, 2006). Gastronomy was dened by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1825) in the Physiology o Taste as, “everything connected with the nourishmento man.” Alternately, Merriam Webster denes it as “theart or science o good eating.” As clear as the oundingathers o molecular gastronomy were that it was to be a science, the very denition o gastronomy lies ina nebulous terrain that is not strictly science but onewhere the vein o the culinary arts runs squarely across.

Kurti and This organized the rst “InternationalWorkshop o Molecular and Physical Gastronomy”in 1992 in Erice, Italy, and invited both ches and

scientists to advance the dialogue o this new sci-ence. When Kurti died in 1998, This shortened the

name to the “International Workshop o MolecularGastronomy.” It remains a biennial invitation-onlygathering o notable ches and scientists (This, 2006).

Five Goals of Molecular Gastronomy

When This presented his Ph.D. dissertation “Molecularand Physical Gastronomy” at the University o Parisin 1996, he identied ve goals o this new science:“(1) to collect and investigate old wives’ tales aboutcooking; (2) to model and scrutinize existing recipes;(3) to introduce new tools, products, and methods tocooking; (4) to invent new dishes using knowledgerom the previous three aims; and (5) to use the appealo ood to promote science” (This, 2006). O theoriginal ve goals, only the rst two corresponded toscience. The other goals were application and educational oshoots o the science o molecular gastronomy.

Today, molecular gastronomy still creates

uncertainty. The chimerical ood creations we witnesstoday—ruit caviar, hot ice cream, and oam sauces—arecreative kitchen applications o the science. The manynames given to capture this kitchen approach, rangingrom molecular gastronomy to culinary alchemy,undamentally reer to the same idea: Tapping into sci-ence to improve cooking processes and expand culinaryinnovation. Harold McGee (2004), an award-winningood writer and eminent contributor to the eld, perhapssaid it best with the words “the science o deliciousness.”Peter Barham, a polymer physicist at the University o Bristol in the U.K. and a prolic contributor in the eld,noted the interdisciplinary nature o the new science o

molecular gastronomy. It encompasses a wide varietyo topics, which includes understanding the eect o

Part food science and part culinary art, molecular gastronomy and its offshoots arerevolutionizing food preparation, presentation, and eating and sensory experiences.

“

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cooking methods on the attributeso ood, the investigation o new

cooking methods to improve andcreate new experiences in ood,and the cerebral and sensorialinterpretation o oods (Barham,2008). Thus, it is no wonder that anew crop o avant-garde ches (i.e.,practitioners o the molecular gas-tronomy movement) seek not onlyto delight the guests’ palates, butalso evoke emotion and stimulateall other senses, making their oodnothing short o a perormance.

It is also interesting to note

that the early history o moleculargastronomy coincided with anAmerican cultural phenomenon,the Food Network cable televisionstation. The Food Network,launched in 1993, popularizedthe idea o ood to the masses onan unrelenting 24/7 basis. Theincreasing media spotlight we seeon molecular gastronomy in theUnited States—the recent episodeso “Gourmet’s Diary o a Foodie:The Science o Deliciousness”

(Gourmet, 2008) and “Gourmet’sDiary o a Foodie: Avant-garde A la

Carte” (Gourmet, 2008), eaturearticles in Popular Science magazine

(2007) ocusing on the new scienceo ood, and coverage in The New York Times newspaper compar-ing ches to chemists (Chang,2007)—is perhaps no accident butthe inevitable intersection o scienceand popular culture, held together by the ascination with ood.

While molecular gastronomy ismost developed in Europe, it is stillconsidered a new science. With theexception o a ew Ph.D. programsin Europe, getting a degree or

carving out a career in moleculargastronomy is still hard to do(Pain, 2007). In the United States,the Research Ches’ Associationpioneered the eld o Culinology ®,which blends equal parts o oodtechnology and the culinary arts.While only an approximation tomolecular gastronomy, it is a eldthat oers viable higher educationaldegrees and career paths.

Chefs and Restaurants

Sometimes called the “SalvadorDali o the kitchen,” che Fer-

ran Adria has popularized the

molecular gastronomy movementworldwide with his oams and auxcaviar. Best known or his culinaryoams, stabilized with gelatin orlecithin, Adria does not use theterm molecular gastronomy, andsays, “There isn’t a molecularcuisine. There’s a molecular move-ment, the molecular gastronomy,where some scientists cooperatewith the world o cooking” (eGForums, 2004). Adria’s place inculinary history began in the 1980s

when he was promoted to head che o a traditional French restaurantlocated on the Catalonian coasto Spain, north o Barcelona,named El Bulli (Moore, 2008).Today, El Bulli is a three Michelinstar restaurant, which Restaurant magazine recently ranked No. 1in the world or the past threeconsecutive years (Harding, 2008).

Whether ches made the termmolecular gastronomy amous orthe term made them amous, it’s

sometimes taboo to use the termto describe their work. Anotherche who has played a major rolein developing the movement isHeston Blumenthal, che o FatDuck, in Bray, England. He said,“the term creates articial barriers”(The Observer, 2008). Known orits bacon and egg ice cream, theFat Duck earned three Michelinstars in 2004, and has been namedone o the top three restaurants inthe world by Restaurant magazine

since 2004 (Harding, 2008).Some o his popular dishes—snailporridge and salmon poached withlicorice—excite the senses, andsometimes, challenge the palate.

Grant Achatz, whom manyconsider a true American pioneerin this movement, calls the ood“progressive American” at hisAlinea restaurant in Chicago, Ill.While tapping into science to cre-ate his oods, he distances himsel rom molecular gastronomy, which

he notes, eels like a science class.Achatz wants his restaurant to

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Cooking and science are converging to

expand culinary boundaries and create

unique and innovative cuisines.

Science Meets CookingSCIENCE

COOKINGCOOKING

SCIENCE

classical fusion

nouvelle

chemistryphysics

food

s c i e n c e + c o o k i n g




eel more like the “perorming

arts” (savorycities, 2007). Knownor its innovative approach todining, Alinea’s customers mayexperience a oral or herbalaroma-lled pillow to completethe experience o the ood on theirplate. Achatz’s ormula or successis undeniable; Alinea was namedthe “Best Restaurant in America”in 2006 by Gourmet magazine.

Also leading the Americancharge are Wylie Duresne o WD-50 in New York, N.Y.,

and Homaro Cantu o Moto inChicago. These ches continueto inspire and ascinate, as theycreate rom the crossroads o culinary arts and science.

Applications of Food Science

While ood science is part o molecular gastronomy, its mainapplication has traditionally beento provide sae and nutritiousood or the masses in the mostefcient and economical manner

possible. As the Institute o FoodTechnologists (IFT) denes it, oodscience is “the discipline in which biology, physical sciences, andengineering are used to study thenature o oods, the causes o theirdeterioration, and the principlesunderlying ood processing”(IFT, 2007). Furthermore, theapplication o ood science—oodtechnology—is dened as “theapplication o ood science to theselection, preservation, processing,

packaging, distribution, and useo sae, nutritious, and wholesomeood” (IFT, 2007). Neither the sci-ence nor the technology is gearedtoward the study o restaurantcooking processes or the creationo new dishes in the kitchen.

Molecular gastronomy hashelped bring the tools and technol-ogy that are commonplace in theood industry to the restaurantkitchen. Take, or example, thetechnique o spherifcation, where

round “pearls” o gel with liquidcenters (“caviar”) are created by

dropping a avorul base mixed

with sodium alginate into a calciumchloride solution. Upon contactwith the calcium ions, gelationoccurs rom the outside in. Thelonger the pearls remain in the cal-cium solution, the rmer and lessliquid the centers become. Whilethis is a airly new application inthe kitchen, alginates are wellestablished as an ingredient in oodmanuacturing. The thickeningand gelling properties o alginatehave long been used in sauces and

re-ormed products such as restruc-tured sh llets, onion rings, andherb-avored alginate gels usedto stu olives (McHugh, 2003).

Maltodextrin, a product o partial starch hydrolysis, is anothercrossover rom ood science. Aningredient used to transormoil to powder in the molecularkitchen, it is a staple ingredient inood processing used to dispersedry ingredients, stabilize high-atingredients, and a source o car-

bohydrate in high-energy drinks.Recognizing the potential in

bringing ood science applicationsinto the kitchen, Inicon, www.inicon.net, a European technologytranser program, was created in2002 to impart knowledge romthe science and ood industryto the kitchen, and close thetechnical gap between the two.

Preparation and Cook ing Techniques

Foams and airs, orms o oods

that are certainly not new, weremade ashionable in ne dining by che Adria o El Bulli with hisarsenal o hydrocolloids and nitrousoxide. One o his amous creationsis “warm gelatin,” to which headds agar (a seaweed powder) tostabilize warm bee gelatin (TheNew York Times, 2008). Anothero Adria’s signature creations areoams, which are stabilized saucesaerated with nitrous oxide.

Lecithin is a staple ingredient

used to emulsiy sauces likemayonnaise and vinaigrettes.

Soy lecithin, in particular, avoidsconcerns o cholesterol whencompared to the traditional use o egg yolk or emulsiying power.The emulsiying properties o

lecithin also make it a popularingredient to create airs and oams.

Ches today are magicallytransorming liquid oils intopowder, sometimes even replicatingthe avor complexity o a wholecourse. The “secret” ingredientis tapioca maltodextrin. In theavant-garde restaurant kitchen,highly avored oil is blended withtapioca maltodextrin to transormthe oil rom liquid to powder.“Powder oil,” having a high afnity

or water, pleasantly coats themouth while releasing the potentavors o the oil. Some ches haveused this ingredient to turn peanut butter into a granular powderthat reconstitutes in the mouth.

Methylcellulose is a thermo-reversible gelling agent. Whenheated, the methylcellulosetransorms into a gel, and asit cools, it starts to liquey. Apopular use or this “upside-down”ingredient is hot ice cream, a

new breed o ice cream that getsrmer at higher temperatures.

Spherifcation helps to create a novel sushi product with a core of “pearls”

surrounded by traditional rice and an avocado wrap. The pearls are made from a

solution containing avors, colors, and about 1% sodium alginate. Droplets of thissolution are added to a 1% calcium chloride solution to form the pearls.Photo courtesy of Zoya Rozet and Gum Technology

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Heston Blumenthal intends to

complement his recipes with sec-tions o science, ranging rom icecream to meat science (Gourmet,2008). Grant Achatz, when con-sidering the history o gastronomy,speaks o the “explosion o newtechniques or the rst time inyears and years” (Gourmet, 2008).

Recognizing the synergy between the culinary arts andood science and technology,the Research Ches’ Associationchampions this hybrid approach

to ood. The increasing numbero students in Culinology is perhapsindicative o the uture genera-tion o culinary practitioners, ageneration which views thecoexistence o the culinary artsand technology as second nature.

We are witnessing a unda-mental shit in how we thinko cooking. The distinguishedcontributors o this eld— Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal,Thomas Keller, and Harold

McGee—who recognized therapid and sometimes misguideddevelopment o this “newcookery” collectively authored anarticle on “Statement o the ‘new

cookery’” (Adria et al., 2006).

It comprises our key points:1. Three basic principles

guide our cooking: Excellence,openness, and integrity.

2. Our cooking valuestradition, builds on it, and alongwith tradition is part o theongoing evolution o our crat.

3. We embrace innovation— new ingredients, techniques,appliances, inormation, andideas—whenever it can make areal contribution to our cooking.

4. We believe that cooking canaect people in proound ways, andthat a spir it o collaboration andsharing is essential to true progressin developing this potential.

While the article reects thethoughts and principles o theauthors, it is also indirectly a blueprint or the uture o thisnew movement in cooking. Otenloosely reerred to as moleculargastronomy, it has now emergedin the restaurant kitchens o

pioneering ches. Contrary towhat some might believe to be aad, this new approach to ood hasthe potential to be nothing shorto a revolution in cooking. FT

R E F E R E N C E SAdria, F., Blumentha l H., Keller, T.,McGee, H. 2006. Statement on the ‘newcookery.’ The Guardian. Dec. 10, 2006.

Adria, F., Soler, J., and Adria, A. 20 05.“El Bulli: 1998–2002.” Ecco Press.

Ajinomoto 2008. Activa TGTransglutaminase. www.activatg.com.

Accessed May 6, 2008.Barham, P. 2008. Molecular Gastronomy.Discovery Channel. www.discoverychan-nel.co.uk. Accessed April 28, 2008.

Brillat-Savarin, J. 1825. The Physiology o Taste. Penguin Classics, reprinted 1994.

Chang, K. 2007. Food 2.0: Ches asChemists. The New York Times. Nov. 6.

eG Forums 2004. Q&A with FerranAdria. EG Forums. December14. http://orums.egullet.org.Accessed April 4, 2008.

Gourmet 2008. Gourmet’s Diary o aFoodie: Science o Deliciousness. Episode11. Jan. 23, 2008. www.gourmet.com.

Gourmet 2008. Gourmet’s Diary o a

Foodie: Avant-Garde A La Carte. Episode

20. Jan. 29, 2008. www.gourmet.com.

Gourmet 2008. The Gourmet Q&A:Grant Achatz and Heston Blumenthal.March 24, 2008. www.gourmet.com.Accessed May 7, 2008.

Harding, C. 2008. The S.PellegrinoWorld’s 50 Best Restaurants 2008.Restaurant magazine. April 22.

Hesser, A. 2005. Under Pressure.The New York Times. August 14.

IFT 2007. What is Food Scienceand Technology? www.it.org.Accessed April 18, 2008.

McGee, H. 2004. On Food and Cooking:The Science and Lore o the Kitchen.Simon & Schuster, New York.

McHugh, D. J. 2003. “A guide tothe seaweed industry.” FAO FisheriesTechnical Paper No. 441.

Moore, B. 2008. Ferran Adria. About.com.www.about.com. Accessed May 6, 2008.

Pain, E. 2007. Molecular Gastronomy:Something’s Cooking. Science.

November 2. www.sciencemag.org.

Accessed April 3, 2008.

Popular Science 2007. The Futureo Food – Molecular Gastronomyor the Masses. November.

Savorycities 2007. Alinea Restaurantin Chicago with Che Grant Achatz.http://chicago.savorycities.com.Accessed Feb. 5, 2008.

The Observer 2008. MolecularGastronomy is Dead – Heston SpeaksOut. http://observer.guardian.co.uk.Accessed May 6, 2008.

The New York Times 2008. Adaptedrom Bittman, B., Adrià May BeRelaxing, But His Obsessions Are StillAbuzz, Sept. 13, 2006, and Lubow, A.,A Laboratory o Taste, Aug. 10, 2003.www.nytimes.com. Accessed May 6, 2008.

This, H. 2006. Food or tomorrow? Howthe scientic discipline o moleculargastronomy could change the way weeat. EMBO reports. 7(11): 1062-1066.

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Chef Kurt Struwe (right) and student Ross Kuchta experiment with pastries on the

anti-griddle, which chills food to -30°F, at Southwest Minnesota State University’sCulinology program.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Chapman Photography LLC

Grace S. Yek , a member of IFT, is Chef Instr uctor

at the Midwest Culinary Institute and Assistant

Professor in Culinology at the University of

Cincinnati, 2220 Victory Pkwy., Cincinnati,

OH 45206 ([email protected]). Kurt Struwe , amember of IFT, is Assistant Professor/Executive

Chef in Culinology at Southwest Minnesota

State University, 1501 State St., Marshall, MN

56258 ([email protected]).

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