Welcome to a world where chicken skin mingles with black truffles, where there are such things as herb vapors, fruit foams and peanut butter powders, where liquid nitrogen is considered a cooking tool. It’s called molecular gastronomy. It may sound like something that came from outer space, but the term actually describes something much closer to home. For Raleighites, it’s just downtown.
History
1810: According to Allen Foegeding, , professor of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences, the first food scientist may well have been Nicolas Appert, a French confectioner who invented the process of canning.
Mid 20th century: Scientists Nicholas Kurti and Herve’ This coin the term molecular gastronomy and defined the science of cooking as its own discipline.
1980s: Ferran Adria’, a Spanish chef, popularizes the previously misunderstood method of cooking, according to Jeremy Clayman, head chef of The Mint restaurant.
Today: Molecular gastronomy is gaining ground as a culinary movement in the United States.
What it is
According to Foegeding, the concept of molecular gastronomy is rooted in the study of food science, a discipline which has had a place at N.C. State for nearly 50 years. Food scientists’ main objective is optimizing safety and taste in the foods on which they work.
“We use science to help us make wholesome, safe food,” Foegeding said.
Foegeding describes two distinct divisions in the molecular gastronomy world — those who approach it as the process of explaining how and why things work and those who are after the “wow factor.”
Where to go
Restaurants specializing in applied food science are cropping up in cities across the nation. One such restaurant, Alinea, which is located in Chicago was named the number one restaurant in the country by Gourmet magazine in 2006.
Raleigh saw its first house of molecular gastronomy just this year with the opening of The Mint in January. Chef Jeremy Clayman applies a healthy dose of science to his contemporary, southern cuisine.
The Mint doesn’t push the sometimes strange-looking scientifically enhanced foods to the forefront of his menu, instead using them to accent more familiar concepts. Clayman said that he would rather present these new culinary concepts in a way where the largest amount of people will accept and enjoy them.
Who’s into it
Phanin Leksrisompong, a graduate student in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, was interested to see what The Mint was doing in the way of food science. In an e-mail, Leksrisompong said she was very impressed with the restaurant.
“The last meal that my sister and I had was spectacular. I cannot stop telling people about it,” Leksrisompong said.
She also mentioned some of the techniques Clayman used, including freeze drying, liquid nitrogen and modified starch powder, and that she has learned about some of those methods in her classes.
It doesn’t take a food scientist to appreciate the chemistry behind the menu; anyone can and should make a point to experience the world of molecular gastronomy.
What you’ll find — A Review
Restaurants following the molecular gastronomy tradition have been known to serve anything from algae-wrapped seafood to carbonated-in-the-peel oranges. The Mint offers plenty of different methods to try.
Powders- The Mint garnishes some plates with different powders, which are made from everyday foods such as olive oil and peanut butter. Clayman explains that tapioca starch, when added to a fat, will absorb the liquid until it reaches a powdered form. The powders melt in the mouth and taste exactly like the original.
Gelatinous Substances- Don’t expect any Jell-O here though. Gels come in many forms at The Mint-basil ribbons, made of agar-agar and Clayman’s “64-degree egg” which is jelly-like throughout, yet completely cooked. The egg is slow cooked for and hour and fifteen minutes at, you guessed it, 64 degrees (Celsius).
New Textures- The meats at The Mint are unlike any you’ve ever tasted. Clayman uses the sous-vide method to slow cook some of the seafood and poultry on the menu. The method allows all the juices to stay with the meat, leaving it tender, even velvety.
Edible Air- Foams are another mainstay on Clayman’s menu. Almost any flavor can be incorporated. Some of The Mint’s foams are just that- foamy; others have gelatin mixed in so that the foam holds its shape.
New Flavor Combinations- Expect the unexpected when your appetite is in the hands of a food science obsessed chef. The Mint offers lobster with popcorn and caramel flavors, pear with gorgonzola cheese and chocolate balsamic vinegar to name a few.