nik newark

Creative Gastronomy

If you are a foody type, you've probably heard of Heston Blumenthal, and his restaurant The Fat Duck. They have a very interesting Degustation Menu (no, I haven't sampled it - it is £90 a head, so we are waiting for a Really Special Occasion) which includes Snail Porridge, Salmon poached in liquorice, Sweetbread cooked in a salt crust with hay, Mango & Douglas Fir puree, Black Olive & Leather Puree and other such innovative combinations.

Heston has an interesting approach to food, and from what I've seen, his kitchens have a lot in combination with a science lab. He will frequently cook food in a vacuum, or somehow incorporate dry ice into his preparations. He is also interested in food psychology, noting that eating food is the only activity which actively engages all of our senses (though now I come to think about it, I suspect that oral sex may also fall into this category), and how our different senses change the way we experience flavour (for example, an apple tastes fresher and more juicy if the sound of you eating it is amplified - similarly, if you remove the sound, it tends to appear old and leathery). He often performs experiments, such as making some beetroot jelly cubes, coating them in sugar, and feeding them to the unsuspecting public, telling them to expect either beetroot, or blackcurrant - they tend to experience exactly what they've been told to expect! (Actually, you can try something similar with fruit pastilles or similar - eat one without looking at the colour - can you identify what flavour it is meant to be?).

Anyway, this reminded me of a culinary experiment I conducted back in the mid nineties, inspired by Nigel Lawson of all people. Mr Lawson was explaining how he had stopped using butter in his cooking, and had started to use lemon juice instead. With this in mind, I made a pasta dish, incorporating parmesan and lemon juice. I can report that the combination of cheese and lemon juice creates the taste sensation of mature vomit. You can try this (or any of Mr Blumenthal's food experiments) at home, but I'd suggest you keep a sturdy vessel to hand, such as a stout bucket.