Molecular Gastronomy: Modernist Cuisine

In new era, as everything has been experiencing certain changes and development in its phase, so is the field of Culinary Arts. It is hardly behind anything else. The latest trend which has swept the field of Food Production is undoubtedly the latest feature which has been explored all across the globe and is referred as Molecular Gastronomy. My current blog is based on latest trend – Molecular Gastronomy.

Certain parts of it is excerpt of my second book – Principles of Food Production Operations.

Gastronomy (Greek gastèr = stomach, and nomìa = law), i.e., the set of techniques and culinary arts to prepare good food, is, in a broad sense, the study of the relationship between culture and food. The new scientific discipline named “molecular gastronomy” (MG) has been defined as “the scientific activity consisting in looking for the mechanisms of phenomena occurring during dish preparation and consumption.”

The application involves transferring empirical kitchen practices to a science-based approach when preparing a dish. This research area is regarded as molecular gastronomy. Molecular cooking or science-based cooking is the application of MG to prepare a dish.

It is the very latest trend prevailing in the field of culinary art. It is the sub-stream of science related to food which endeavors to demystify the unique perspective of physical and chemical transformation taking place in the ingredients of the dish during cooking process. It is the sub-discipline which has characterized the cooking process by the wonders of science, innovative, presentation and never-ending research phenomena. An elite group of magnificent Chef has added a new dimension to this style of contemporary cuisine.

Referred by various names, it is also called as Molecular Gastronomy, Molecular Cuisine, Modern Cuisine, Experimental Cuisine, Modernist Cuisine, Culinary Physics, Multi-sensory Cuisine, Avant-Garde Cuisine.

Origin of term Molecular Gastronomy

The term Molecular Gastronomy was coined in 1988 by Hungarian physicist Nicholas Kurti and French Chemist Hervé This. Actually they intended to highlight the scientific elements of molecules in cooking and termed their study as Molecular and Physical Gastronomy. They wished to study the molecule-dominatedprocess that describes the behavior of all solids, liquids and gases in the cooking process. Prior to this, the process of cooking was considered as only an Art but from this phase onwards, the process of cooking, preparing, serving and enjoying fine dining erupted as a Science as well. But after the demise of Kurti in 1998, Herve This changed the name of their study to just Molecular Gastronomy. In current scenario, this field of culinary study is not only about art and science but also of love, deliciousness and emotion as well. Molecular Gastronomy has taken the world of cuisine to a very different platform by exploring the avenues of science and research in cooking. Several people have defined Molecular Gastronomy with distinct definition as per their findings.

In short, Molecular Gastronomy is the scientific discipline to explore the science behind the traditional cooking methods.

Objectives of Molecular Gastronomy

Herve This has classified the Objectives of molecular gastronomy as Original objectives and Current objectives.

Current objectives intended to explore the mechanisms of culinary transformations and processes with a chemical and physical point of view in three segments:

• The social phenomena connected to culinary process
• The artistic constituent of culinary process
• The technical aspect of culinary process.

Original objectives as mentioned by Herve This in his research dissertation were as such:

• Investigating culinary and gastronomical proverbs, sayings and old wives’ tales
• Exploring existing recipes
• Introducing new tools, ingredients and methods into the kitchen
• Inventing new dishes
• Using molecular gastronomy to help the general public understand the contribution of science to society

Later, Herve This realized that certain objectives did not comply with the scientific application and hence he revised the primary objectives of molecular gastronomy to current objectives.

However, many renowned chefs like by FerranAdria, Heston Blumenthal, Nathan Myhrvold, Thomas Keller and Harold McGee did not like the idea to give their style of cooking the name Molecular Gastronomy and registered their discontent to use this term. They preferred to use the term “a new approach to cooking” instead of Molecular Gastronomy.

Techniques Involved in Molecular Gastronomy

The job of Chef is just not to produce or prepare certain dish, but to incorporate certain degree of creativity, imagination, innovation in their task but also to create wonder in the form of presentation during plating of the dish.

The traditional techniques have helped them to understand their cooking methodology and prepare certain dishes with set standards of perfection. Apart from this, Chef has come up with certain non-traditional techniques during cooking, which has created a huge arena to display their innovativeness and creativeness. Molecular gastronomy has a large domain with many such non-traditional techniques which has acted like an icing on the cake to the chef’s display.

The chef uses either traditional or non-traditional technique or a combination of both in preparing dish as per his preference or choice and explores the new aspect of culinary arts. The technique preferred is based upon its intensity to flavour the dish, impart aroma and to meliorate the dining experience of the diners by attributing the quality of par excellence to the dish. Chefs have worked very hard to create a worthy dish by mingling science with the art of cooking by these non-traditional techniques of Molecular Gastronomy.

The Non-traditional Techniques adopted by Chef in Molecular Gastronomy are as such:

• ·    Generally, the traditional starches are used to thicken the sauce and also to alter the texture of liquids but molecular gastronomy has opened new avenues for non-traditional thickeners which are not required even to be heated but are just blended in the cold liquid. This aids chef to create and prepare new sauces with fresh and uncooked taste.
• ·    The chefs have been using the technique of blending and whisking the sauces to attain the foamy texture, but it use to collapse very soon. This problem has been overcome by the use of gelatin, lecithin and other such ingredients to stabilize the foams and even keeping it still much lighter. Along with stabilization, such well-made foams added new dimension to the dish with an additional flavour.
• ·    Molecular gastronomy has enabled us to change the texture of certain liquids like vegetable juice into a solid one (gel), which can even be cut into many fancy shapes for distinct visual presentation by Chef. Generally, chefs use regular gelatin and agar-agar (derived from seaweed) as the jelling agents for accomplishing this task.
• ·     The drying of any food ingredient or dehydrating any food ingredient intensifies its flavour and also alters the texture. Also, when dehydrated food is powdered, it familiarizes the diner with a new taste and experience. For illustration, a cauliflower floret deep-fried and then dehydrated till crisp has altogether distinct taste and texture than consuming normal steamed or deep-fried cauliflower.

• ·  Spherification: This technique is much alike an applied science, which creates spheres of liquid contained inside a thin gel. Usually, the liquid is mixed with a hydrocolloid called sodium alginate and this liquid is dropped in a calcium bath kept in an another container, Upon being dropped in this calcium liquid, the alginate and calcium react to form a thin wall of gel surrounding a liquid center. Chef have experimented to make small tiny spheres by dropping the alginate mixture by an eye-dropper or a larger ones by freezing the liquid in a mold before dropping it in calcium bath container.

Similarly, when the calcium dissolved in a flavourful liquid is being dropped in an alginate bath, the whole process is termed as reverse spherification.

Photographs used are from google 1 and 2.

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