In the last 30 years in Spain and almost everywhere in Europe, there has been an ongoing trend that tries to create a science out of the art of cooking. But, can really an art be understood as a science?
This questions are the groundfield for masterchefs like Martin Berassategui. His is a Chimestry and Physics teacher and has devoted most of his work to try to understand what really happends to raw materials while they are being cooked.
Former Director of the International Culinary Arts of Spain Institute, Martin Berassategui has spent most of his life studding the Spanish cuissine and Science as well. In the 80's, obssed by the idea of creating a theory that may explain all the cooking processes arround the world he invented The Molecular Cuissine. He started stating that "cooking is nothing more but the action of
applying chemical and physical changes to raw materials with the
objective to turn it into eatable materials". Although, he did not achieve his goal of creating a new science, the overlapping result was, at the least, unexpected.
Molecular Cuissine pertends to explain all steps of a traditional recipes through the gazing eye of physics and chemestry. All the materials used in this kind of cookings are understood as a set of molecules and particles that put togther can form, a potato, a carrot, or a pizza dough.
As every men of science, Chef Martin, needs a laboratory. His lab is being held at restaurant "El Bulli", where he is the owner and founder of his own Molecular Cooking School. He only works for the open public during 4 months, the rest of the year, the restaurant turns into a lab and a school. Berassategui's research, although is not complete, has been the key stone to devolop food that can be eaten under 0 gravity enviroments. His studies have been quite important to create alternatives to transgenic foods. It looks that his intend to generate a theory that explains all the cooking in the world has failed, but his findings are a success to all mankind.
Questions remains. Can an art be turn into a Science? and if it were possible, can this science provide truthfull answers?
I came here, read, and now I'm hungry.
ReplyDeleteI hope they can find out what happens while cooking or baking so they can take those disciplines to near perfection. I also wonder if the guy in the article wasn't a wealthy chef would have been able to develop his theory?