Tags: jacqueline cochrane, deconstruction, molecular gastronomy, richard carstens, feran adria, spherification, chocolate and zucchini, nova restaurant, elbulli, el bulli, deconstructed cuisine

Fine art had Duchamp, Breton and Picasso. Literature had Derrida, Kerouac and Burroughs.

Cuisine has Ferran Adrìa.

Have you ever feasted on bacon ice cream, parmesan air or sushi foam? Chances are whoever prepared your meal was inspired by Adrìa. One of the most celebrated chefs (and certainly one of the most controversial) in the world today, Adrìa has almost single-handedly done for the culinary arts what the aforementioned masters did for their disciplines. And if you’re very, very lucky, you could sample his art at his Spanish restaurant, elBulli. You’ll have to book almost a year in advance, though. But that’s okay, because you’d probably have to start saving that far in advance to dine at this legendary establishment.

Food fundis often link the term “molecular gastronomy” to this master chef, who is famous for using avant-garde culinary techniques like freeze-drying and spherification. (In the latter technique, liquids are encased in a thin alginate shell to form pearls of flavour that explode on the tongue.)
"Now, this all sounds very interesting, but how does it translate into something that ends up on your plate?"

But although one cannot ignore the scientific component to Adrìa’s approach, this chef prefers to be known as a deconstructivist. Borrowing heavily on the work of architectural and literary theorists, deconstructed food rebels against tradition, challenges norms, and tears apart accepted wholes by placing the different components under the magnifying glass. All the while, it maintains a sense of playfulness.

Now, this all sounds very interesting, but how does it translate into something that ends up on your plate?

Firstly, the appreciation of deconstructed food requires a subtle mind-shift; food is not a means (nourishment and nutrition) to an end (survival) – it is an experience. A deconstructed dish will typically see the respective elements of a traditional dish taken apart, and re-presented in unconventional ways. To indulge in such a meal stimulates the mind as much as it pleases the palate, as the diner is probed to question his or her culinary prejudices with every gastronomic surprise.

This element of surprise is of key importance to Adrìa, whose explicit aim is to "provide unexpected contrasts of flavour, temperature and texture. Nothing is what it seems."

And, judging by Clotilde Dusoulier’s (author of the much-loved blog Chocolate and Zucchini) description of dinner at elBulli, this is exactly what he achieves. “Dining at El Bulli is certainly a one-of-a-kind experience,” she writes, “… and I wish it upon anyone who's passionate about food, who has broad tastes, who is tickled by the discovery of new flavours, and who is happy to be whisked away on a flying carpet driven by a mad scientist, even if the ride leaves him a bit dizzy.”

Adrìa’s culinary art often divides diners in two distinct groups: the traditionalists vs the progressives. If you’re not too sure about your category, why not go and surprise your taste buds with some locally prepared deconstructed cuisine! Chef Richard Carstens is perhaps the best-known and most highly acclaimed South African deconstructivist. If you’re living in or visiting the Mother City, pay a visit to Nova restaurant, where Carstens is currently the head chef. And let us know what you think!
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Posted by: robertlauby on 10 Jul 2010 at 01:37 pm

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