functions as
both an independent
R&D station and a
nonprofit food science
advisory committee.
Headed by Noma chef
René Redzepi and his
business partner, Claus
Meyer, the staffresearches both traditional
and off-the-wall methods of food prepara-
tion, heads out on hikes to discover new
ingredients, and presents its results at
meetings of scientists andchefsheldevery-
where fromTurin, Italy, toTlaxcala,Mexico.
A sample schedule at this high-tech
foodie fantasy center might include any-
thing from studying hydrocolloids (i.e.,
substances that form a gel when water
is added) to determining the best way to
make marmalade. “Each day is different.
Sometimes we are outside foraging, smell-
ing, tasting and rubbing things between
our hands, and sometimes we are in the
lab discussing ideas,” says BenReade, head
of culinary research and development.
In the four years since the lab opened,
researchers here have studied how the
nutritional content of seaweed changes
with heat and rediscovered an ancient
method for making balsamic vinegar.
They’ve puréed grasshoppers and mixed
them with fermented pearl barley in an
effort tomake eating insects amore palat-
able idea. They’ve even shipped samples of
homemade fish sauce off to Harvard for
chemical testing.
And, as Nordic cuisine has swiftly
infiltrated the international food scene,
the influence of this floating lab has
grown. Recent research conducted here
on seaweed and umami has appeared in
the open-access, peer-reviewed journal
Flavour
.
The MAD Symposium, a food
conference runbyRedzepi, justmarked its
second annual meeting. The labmay even
be galvanizing a shi toward food research
among other celebrated chefs: Upon clos-
ing the doors of his famed restaurant El
Bulli in 2011, Ferran Adrià announced his
decision to launch a food studies center
with a distinctly scientific bent.
Of course, the question must be asked:
Do we really feel it’s safe to entrust our
palates to the kinds of chefs who would
happily make ice cream out of lichens
and wood grubs? Reade thinks so.
“
Advancements in taste and dining have
applications for improving the health and
happiness of the lowest-budget house-
holds as well as in creative restaurants,”
he says. “The preservation of taste means
the preservation of diversity.”
34
NOVEMBER 2012
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
FIELD STUDIES
Above, one of
the lab’s tastier
experiments,
blueberry-cured
venison; right,
assorted beakers
lend a mad-
scientist vibe
BOARDING PASS
Hungry to check
out the culinary scene in Copenhagen?
United can get you there with flights to
its European gateways and connections
to Copenhagen with Star Alliance car-
riers. To experience the best in in-flight
comfort and dining on your trip, consider
flying in United BusinessFirst or United
Global First.
To see schedule details and
book your flight, go to united.com.
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