What is Experimental Cuisine?
Experimental Cuisine refers to as Molecular Gastrononomy-
Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking.[3] It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view).
Creation of the discipline There are many branches of food science, all of which study different aspects of food such as safety, microbiology, preservation, chemistry, engineering, physics and the like. Until the advent of molecular gastronomy, there was no formal scientific discipline dedicated to studying the processes in regular cooking as done in the home or in a restaurant. The aforementioned (perhaps with the exception of food safety) have mostly been concerned with industrial food production and while the disciplines may overlap with each other to varying degrees, they are considered separate areas of investigation.
Though many disparate examples of the scientific investigation of cooking exist throughout history, the creation of the discipline of molecular gastronomy was intended to bring together what had previously been fragmented and isolated investigation into the chemical and physical processes of cooking into an organized discipline within food science to address what the other disciplines within food science either do not cover, or cover in a manner intended for scientists rather than cooks.
[edit] Term origination The term "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" was coined in 1988 by Hungarian physicist Nicholas Kurti and French physical chemist Hervé This. It became the title for a set of workshops held in Erice, Italy (originally titled "Science and Gastronomy")[4] that brought together scientists and professional cooks for discussions on the science behind traditional cooking preparations. Eventually, the shortened term "Molecular Gastronomy" also became the name of the scientific discipline co-created by Kurti and This to be based on exploring the science behind traditional cooking methods.[5][6][7].
Kurti and This had been the co-directors of the "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" meetings in Erice, along with the American food science writer Harold McGee[5], and had considered the creation of a formal discipline around the subjects discussed in the meetings. [8] After Kurti's death in 1998, the name of the Erice workshops was also changed by Hervé This to "The International Workshop on Molecular Gastronomy 'N. Kurti'". Hervé This remained the sole director of the subsequent workshops from 1999 through 2004 and continues his research in the field of Molecular Gastronomy today.
[edit] Fundamental objectives according to Hervé This The objectives of molecular gastronomy, as defined by Hervé This are:
Current objectives:
Looking for the mechanisms of culinary transformations and processes (from a chemical and physical point of view) in three areas:[6][9]
The original fundamental objectives of molecular gastronomy were defined by This in his doctoral dissertation as:[9]
Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking.[3] It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view).
Creation of the discipline There are many branches of food science, all of which study different aspects of food such as safety, microbiology, preservation, chemistry, engineering, physics and the like. Until the advent of molecular gastronomy, there was no formal scientific discipline dedicated to studying the processes in regular cooking as done in the home or in a restaurant. The aforementioned (perhaps with the exception of food safety) have mostly been concerned with industrial food production and while the disciplines may overlap with each other to varying degrees, they are considered separate areas of investigation.
Though many disparate examples of the scientific investigation of cooking exist throughout history, the creation of the discipline of molecular gastronomy was intended to bring together what had previously been fragmented and isolated investigation into the chemical and physical processes of cooking into an organized discipline within food science to address what the other disciplines within food science either do not cover, or cover in a manner intended for scientists rather than cooks.
[edit] Term origination The term "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" was coined in 1988 by Hungarian physicist Nicholas Kurti and French physical chemist Hervé This. It became the title for a set of workshops held in Erice, Italy (originally titled "Science and Gastronomy")[4] that brought together scientists and professional cooks for discussions on the science behind traditional cooking preparations. Eventually, the shortened term "Molecular Gastronomy" also became the name of the scientific discipline co-created by Kurti and This to be based on exploring the science behind traditional cooking methods.[5][6][7].
Kurti and This had been the co-directors of the "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" meetings in Erice, along with the American food science writer Harold McGee[5], and had considered the creation of a formal discipline around the subjects discussed in the meetings. [8] After Kurti's death in 1998, the name of the Erice workshops was also changed by Hervé This to "The International Workshop on Molecular Gastronomy 'N. Kurti'". Hervé This remained the sole director of the subsequent workshops from 1999 through 2004 and continues his research in the field of Molecular Gastronomy today.
[edit] Fundamental objectives according to Hervé This The objectives of molecular gastronomy, as defined by Hervé This are:
Current objectives:
Looking for the mechanisms of culinary transformations and processes (from a chemical and physical point of view) in three areas:[6][9]
- 1. the social phenomena linked to culinary activity
- 2. the artistic component of culinary activity
- 3. the technical component of culinary activity
The original fundamental objectives of molecular gastronomy were defined by This in his doctoral dissertation as:[9]
- 1. Investigating culinary and gastronomical proverbs, sayings, and old wives' tales
- 2. Exploring existing recipes
- 3. Introducing new tools, ingredients and methods into the kitchen
- 4. Inventing new dishes
- 5. Using molecular gastronomy to help the general public understand the contribution of science to society