This relatively recent culinary innovation is also a discipline practised by scientists. It studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while preparing different types of foods and uses scientific techniques to create new and entirely experimental dishes.

The term was coined as far back as 1988 by 2 Oxford physicists, Nicholas Kurti and Herve This. In its modern-day form, you'll find chefs wielding liquid nitrogen, pipettes, edible gels, blowtorches, and an assortment of other equipment you'd usually expect to find in a laboratory!

They use this specialized equipment and complicated techniques to push the limits of taste, texture, and perception. For instance, you might be served a beautiful, pink tuna steak only to bite into it and find that it is vacuum-treated watermelon! A miniature apple may be made to taste like meat, and vegetables can be reduced down to little transparent spheres that are used to garnish a dish!

Several chefs around the world are masters of molecular gastronomy: Heston Blumenthal, Wylie Dufresne, and Ferran Adria, (the master behind recently-closed (of his own volition) world's top restaurant El Bulli), to name but a few. This style of cooking is also making its way to India, so if you get a chance to try it out, approach your meal with an open mind and let your taste buds go on the ride of a lifetime!

-Pictures courtesy Thinkstock-

Molecular, Gastronomy, Culinary, Wd-50, Chemistry, Food

Post your comment