Cooking-Science-Communication (CSC): The ideal trident to enjoy the dining experience

• Published in: International journal of gastronomy and food science 2019-07, Vol.16, p.100134, Article 100134
• Main Author: Pérez-Lloréns, José Lucas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aponiente; Bioluminescence; Plankton; Science-based cooking
• ISSN: 1878-450X; 1878-4518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgfs.2019.100134

Cooking emerged much earlier than science in the history of mankind. Although from the 17th century there were some pioneering initiatives in linking cooking and science, it was not until the late seventies-early eighties of the 20th century that science was applied to cooking, especially in the creative or modernist cuisine. The starting point was the so-called Molecular Gastronomy coined by Kurti and This, as well as the pioneering book by McGee, On Food and Cooking. From there, collaborative work between chefs and scientists has become more commonplace and many renowned restaurants have their own gastronomic laboratories. One example is Aponiente, owned by the 3 Michelin starred chef León (the Chef of the Sea). Aponiente has collaborated actively in several projects with the University of Cádiz and various public and private companies. Some of the results were the development of innovative cooking devices (e.g., clarimax©) as well as new ingredients (e.g., marine plankton) and techniques (e.g., bioluminescence, the softening of crustacean exosqueletons). In addition, there has also been collaboration in the popularization of science and gastronomy through outreach conferences or co-authored books.